22nd March, the Commons Privileges Comittee investigation into Partygate

Yes he talked about no.10 like it was a very small two up two down!

Boris said he is very sorry rules were broken, and he takes responsibility for that happening on his watch, but surely every one can see that he couldn't possibly have known, as he never knew where he was going or what he was doing or what was going on, and he was just moved around by his officials and they told him what to say and do at all times, and he never questioned it, and he couldn't see parties of 40 people standing in front of his door when he went in, and he never touched anyone's pen, so it was ok to touch their wine glass, and also, they did have perspex screens, in the room next door to where the party was happening, so that ok.

Also, because people in government were stressed and working hard, then it was necessary to provide them with parties and alcohol for morale, and he was only doing his job.

He has never lied, because he just says what he is told to say, and cant be expected to know if it is the truth or not

I think that just about covers it.

I've been working all day and not seen any news. Can anyone summarise what has happened? Please?

He's popular with himself.

He thinks he's an untouchable god of all things and anyone who doesn't find him so is an idiot.

If he carries on I think we could probably certify 95% of the British population stupid.

Because of course most people can't be right and him - wrong!

Apparantly Boris is (has surely?) a cucumber.

Cost of cucumbers is up 9.6%.

I think this is what JRM means when he says Boris is popular.

JRM insisting that he's won the public over! Yeah right .... laughable

JRM on Channel 4 news continuing to demonstrate that he is also a wazzook.

I had to go out but listened when I could. What I took from it was...

Downing St was different to any other business, any NHS hospital, any care home... basically anywhere. They were the only ones working hard. Bollocks to that

Rules restrictions rules restrictions... he obviously thinks he has a loophole there.

What got me was being questioned at the end about the bad press of colleagues calling the Committee a Kangaroo Court etc. BJ asked if he thought that was wrong.

And he basically said, if you find me innocent which I am, no it isn't a kangaroo court. If you don't, it is. Disgusting

He was petulant, argumentative and he showed huge flashes of anger. Plus he interrupted a lot.

Wazzock.

Boris apparantly hopes the committee will see what was in his heart at the time he gave parliament assurances that no rules were broken.

I think almost all of us know exactly what was in his heart, and he probably wouldn't want us to point it out to him.

He has just been given an absolute shoeing in the Spectator by Fraser Nelson who points out that, amongst other things, the application of the rules and guidance meant that the uncle of Arthur Lajinbo Hughes was told he would be arrested if he went to visit the boy.

These rules criminalised people. I'm glad that finally he is over.

Reckless feels safer, iyswim. Easier to prove.

Thing is - to find him not guilty of deliberately misleading the house.

You have to basically say he had no understanding of the rules and guidance he read out from the lecture daily to the public.

Which means to have to say he's totally incompetent.

So whatever the Tory line it'll be very hard to convince all but his avid supporters towards him being ok to be re elected. 🤞

I wonder if they will land on reckless, because a) he did not seek proper advice before stating no rules had been broken and b) it is implausible in a workplace of more than 2 people to state that for certain, because you do not know what the other people were doing.

I've been trying and failing to keep an eye on whats happening in between meetings. Extra fail when Sunak threw in his summary of his tax return in there as an attempted distraction. So I'm grateful for the thread so I can try and catch up a bit.

He's convinced himself that he's totally innocent and will be exonerated. Just like he's convinced himself that Brexit is a raging success

This is a very good way of putting it.

And I think the smarter right wingers understand that letting Johnson off isn't really in their interests either. Not just because it means he'll continue to try and undermine Sunak with a view to getting back in, but also because we're soon going to have a Labour government with a substantial majority. Quite possibly so substantial that meaningful opposition becomes very difficult. In that situation, the system and people sticking to it rather than always acting on partisan lines really matter. The Tories will be much more vulnerable to all kinds of shitting on public life principles in the not very far off future, if this isn't nipped in the bud now. They'd be wise to consider that.

@Blossomtoes - true but a lot of people did take him seriously. This performance was for his supporters really because direct lying is real electoral poison. The Committee can never find that but of course in practice, the public think it.

As a serious politician he is finished

As a serious politician he never started.

It’s just not credible that his sincere belief was that he followed the rules. He knew exactly what was going on up and down the country, he couldn’t not, and this idea that he believed his actions were in line with either the guidance or the rules is completely bogus. Can the committee find that they just don’t believe him? And therefore that he did indeed mislead everyone?

Guardian calls it for reckless. I think so.

Ultimately I think he comes out of badly because he was so irresponsible as to not care. But it seems hard to say he was deliberate- he just couldn't be bothered or concerned enough to do anything either in No 10 or then meet his duty to the Commons.

As a serious politician he is finished