Boris Johnson is set to be found in contempt of parliament “repeatedly” in a report by MPs investigating his conduct as prime minister during the party scandal, according to people familiar with the matter.
The House of Commons privilege committee is due to release its long-awaited report on Johnson on Thursday morning after a 14-month investigation.
Two people close to the committee said the report concluded that Johnson had exercised “repeated contempt” of parliament, including being found to have misled a statement he made in the House of Commons about a Downing Street party during the coronavirus lockdown. Member of Congress.
While the committee’s main focus will be on Johnson, it will also condemn the actions of members of Congress who have criticized its investigation but will not name them, these people added.
The committee has been investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled parliament after he said during his tenure as prime minister that he had always followed Covid-19 rules following media coverage of the 10th rally held during pandemic restrictions.
Johnson announced on Friday that he would resign with immediate effect as the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Rislip – after accusing the cross-party committee of behaving like a “kangaroo court” against him for “political justice”. strike”.
While the committee has the power to recommend sanctions against MPs, including suspending the House of Commons to hold a by-election, Johnson’s decision to resign pre-empts it.
A person close to the committee said Johnson’s decision on Friday to reveal some of the committee’s draft conclusions was seen as a sign of contempt.
The person added: “In (Johnson’s) remarks in the (House of Commons) send box (about Downing Street parties), other issues were mentioned (in the report) than just contempt of Parliament.
“The publication of the findings is in itself a contempt of Parliament. It is clear that no further investigation is required.”
The team’s discovery was expected by others who understood how it works.
Dominic Grieve, a former member of the House of Commons privilege committee and former Conservative attorney-general, said Johnson should have been given the draft report in confidence before making its contents public.
“If he violates that trust, then he is in contempt of the committee,” he added. “I don’t think there’s a gray area.”
“I did not commit any offense of contempt of Parliament, nor did I knowingly or intentionally mislead the House of Commons,” Johnson said in a statement.
The committee’s report will also raise concerns about members of Congress who mocked the panel but are not expected to be named.
Conservative MPs Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Sir Andrea Jenkyns, both close allies of Johnson, have dubbed the committee’s inquiry a “kangaroo court”.
A person close to the committee said: “Parliament manages its own affairs. The courts are not involved. If this is not done in a reasonable way, the future independence of the privileged system will be questioned.”
Johnson called on Wednesday for a member of the privileges committee to resign following reports the MP had attended a rally in parliament amid Covid restrictions.
According to the Guido Fawkes website, Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin attended a reception in Parliament in December 2020 when London was under so-called Tier 2 restrictions, which did not allow indoor gatherings of more than six people.
Johnson said it would be “outrageous and an utter contempt of Parliament” if true, adding that Jenkin “had no choice but to explain his actions to his own committee and have his colleagues investigate , and resign.”
Jenkin has been contacted for comment.
Other MPs have accused Johnson of using reports about Jenkin to try to divert attention from his own actions.
Former Conservative cabinet minister David Davies said: “The difficulty for Boris is that if you’re in a court case, saying ‘one man on the jury isn’t perfect’ isn’t a viable excuse, and even if it’s true, it might be. No.” . . It’s a distraction from the real issue — he’s misleading the House. “
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This is typical Boris Johnson diversionary tactics and it doesn’t change the fact that he broke the law and lied about it.”