Boris launches fightback: Ex-PM in bid to save political career ahead of Partygate showdown
Boris Johnson’s lawyers are set to accuse MPs of 'moving the goalposts' amid Partygate
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Boris Johnson’s lawyers are set to accuse MPs of “moving the goalposts” in a bid to find him guilty over partygate.
A submission of dozens of pages is set to be published today as lawyers outline evidence of assurances given to Johnson that no lockdown rules had been broken.
It is thought that Johnson’s lawyers will argue that the House of Commons privileges committee has changed the definition of misleading Parliament and will accuse its chairman, Harriet Harman of having prejudiced the outcome of the inquiry.
MPs have been investigated over whether they “deliberately” misled Parliament since 1963.
Evidence from Boris Johnson's team is set to be published later today
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But last year, the committee decided they did not need to prove intent, just that he had “recklessly” misled the House, which is easier to prove.
Johnson’s team are expected to argue that the definition was altered as the committee failed to find any concrete evidence.
One of Johnson’s key allies and GB News Presenter Jacob Rees-Mogg said the inquiry made a “kangaroo court look respectable”.
His allies have suggested that its findings would be spoilt because Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who wrote the original report into the parties held at Number 10 during lockdown, is now set to work for Labour.
Rees-Mogg, who was leader of the House of Commons under Johnson, said: “The privileges committee is proposing to rely on evidence gathered by someone who went on to be Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.
“It is chaired by a Labour MP who has already said she thinks Boris is guilty, even before any of the evidence was examined.
“If this was the other way around, Labour MPs would rightly be calling ‘foul’ and calling this a stitch-up.”
One source close to Johnson’s defence team said the evidence was “totally in his favour”.
“The committee will find Boris did not mislead Parliament,” they told The Telegraph.
“It has to be based on the evidence which is totally in his favour.
Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who wrote the original report into the parties held at Number 10 during lockdown, is now set to work for Labour
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“He has always said he didn’t mislead Parliament and now he will be shown to be right. He is in good spirits and he has a great defence. He is up for it and confident.”
The source added: “The lawyers will say a lot about how unfair the process has been.
“We think the committee moved the goalposts on the definition of contempt, by bringing in a new idea of recklessly misleading Parliament rather than deliberately misleading Parliament.
“We think there is absolutely no precedent for that. We think they have changed the definition because they discovered there was no evidence that Boris acted wrongly in any way.”
The former Prime Minister will submit evidence to MPs ahead of a public hearing on Wednesday.
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