Harman to chair autumn Partygate inquiry into PM

Boris Johnson will not face a grilling by the committee investigating whether he lied to parliament over Downing Street parties until the autumn, it was revealed as the inquiry was formally launched yesterday.

- ANDREW WOODCOCK

A Conservative bid to block Harriet Harman from leading the investigation failed, after the senior Labour MP was confirmed as chair. But no decision has yet been taken over whether oral evidence sessions of questioning by the Commons privileges committee will be held in public and before the TV cameras.

The Commons voted in April for the committee to conduct an investigation into whether Mr Johnson's repeated denials that Covid lockdown rules were broken at No 10 amounted to a contempt of parliament.

A finding of contempt could put the prime minister's position in doubt, by allowing MPs to vote on a suspension from parliament, which could itself trigger a recall petition in his Uxbridge constituency.

And the PM would be in peril simply for being found to have lied to parliament, something which the ministerial code of conduct treats as a resigning offence. If he resisted pressure to resign in those circumstances, Tory backbenchers have made clear they would attempt to force a second no-confidence vote.