The key parts of Boris Johnson’s partygate evidence
The House of Commons privileges committee has published former prime minister Boris Johnson’s defence, which was submitted following its inquiry investigating whether he misled parliament over partygate.
The probe was launched in the wake of Sue Gray’s partygate report, which blamed a “failure of leadership and judgement” for the lockdown-busting parties that took place in Number 10 during the COVID pandemic.
Authorities from the House of Commons said the initial document from Mr Johnson “had a number of errors and typos” and a correct version was not received until 8.02am on Tuesday.
Politics live: Boris Johnson’s partygate defence revealed
Statements were made ‘in good faith’
A major part of the evidence is that Mr Johnson accepts that the House of Commons “was misled by my statements that the rules and guidance had been followed completely at No 10”.
The evidence reads: “I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements that the rules and guidance had been followed completely at No.10.
“But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly knew and believed at the time.”
‘Implausible’ that Johnson would have held events ‘obviously’ contrary to lockdown rules
In another part of the evidence, Mr Johnson states that a “suggestion that we would have held events which were ‘obviously’ contrary to the rules and guidance, and allowed those events to be immortalised by the official photographer is implausible”.
Returning to this at a different section, Mr Johnson adds: “If it was ‘obvious’ to me that the rules and guidance were not being followed, it would have also been ‘obvious’ to the dozens of others who also attended those gatherings.
13 November 2020 gathering
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What is Boris Johnson’s partygate defence?
“Many of those individuals wished me ill and would have no hesitation in seeking to bring me down me if I sought to conceal or ‘cover-up’ the truth from the House.
“If someone had known or believed that the rules or guidance had been broken (because it was ‘obvious’), you would expect that there would have been contemporaneous documents recording this, including emails or WhatsApp messages: some discussion, or some post-mortem.
“There is absolutely nothing.”
‘No evidence at all’ to support allegation
Mr Johnson wrote: “It is clear from [the committee’s] investigation that there is no evidence at all that supports an allegation that I intentionally or recklessly misled the House.
“The only exception is the assertions of the discredited Dominic Cummings, which are not supported by any documentation.”
‘I honestly and reasonably believed in the truth of the statements’
Going on to address each of the statements relied upon by the committee and give them some context, Mr Johnson retained his position, writing: “However, my clear and consistent position since the outset of this inquiry has been that, at the time that the statements were made, I honestly and reasonably believed in the truth of the statements. That remains my position.”
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Johnson accepts he misled parliament
‘Unprecedented and absurd’
In one part of the evidence, Mr Johnson calls the committee’s allegation – that it was “reckless” for him “to rely on assurances that I received from trusted advisers” – “unprecedented and absurd”.
Support from WhatsApp messages
Mr Johnson wrote that “further support” for his case can be found in WhatsApp messages that are in the committee’s possession.
14 January 2021 gathering
He wrote: “On 10 December 2021, I sent a message to Jack Doyle [former Downing Street director of communications] stating: ‘Is there a way we could get the truth about this party out there’.
“I trusted the assurances that Jack Doyle and others had given me, so I wanted the ‘truth’ as they had explained it and as I honestly believed it, to be published. I used ‘party’ as shorthand because that it how it was being referred to in the media.”
Doyle said New Year’s Eve party was ‘within the rules’
Another reference Mr Johnson uses is a brief interaction with Mr Doyle concerning the party on 31 December.
“I asked Jack Doyle about the event, which he confirmed he had attended,” Mr Johnson wrote.
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“He explained to me that the media team held a regular Friday evening team meeting, where they would discuss what had occurred during the week, and have a drink.
“As this was the last Friday of the year, there was also cheese and a Secret Santa. He reminded me that this had been a ‘nightmare’ evening, as the country was about to go back into lockdown at a time when I was desperate to protect Christmas.
“He informed me that to call it a party was a great exaggeration. I asked him: ‘Was it within the Rules?’ He told me: ‘It was within the Rules’.”
‘COVID rules have been followed at all times’
Following reports by the Daily Mirror in December 2021 that Mr Johnson made a speech at a leaving do on 27 November – when the country was in the second lockdown – and allowed a festive party to proceed on 18 December when London was in the grips of Tier 3 restrictions, Number 10 responded with the line: “COVID rules have been followed at all times.”
In his evidence, Mr Johnson said that he “cannot recall” whether he had “sight of that line before it was briefed”.
“Based on my diary, I believe that I did not know about or approve the line before it was given to the Daily Mirror (given that I did not speak to Mr Doyle until 6.00pm). Nothing may turn on this though, given that I did discuss the matter with Mr Doyle, and, based on the assurances that I received from him and my own knowledge and understanding, I agreed with the line,” he wrote.
‘I am reliant on advice from officials’
According to sources at the time, a party took place on 18 December, in Downing Street with around 40 people in attendance.
Addressing this in his evidence, Mr Johnson said that he had “relied on assurances” from his advisers, assurances which he now says were “wrong.”
“As Prime Minister, I am reliant on advice from officials. There is nothing reckless or unreasonable about that,” he wrote.
Events attended by Johnson himself
Addressing events in which he personally attended himself, Mr Johnson wrote: “I honestly and reasonably believed that the rules and guidance were followed at the events that I attended. I did not know that any of these events later escalated beyond what was lawful after I left.”
Boris Johnson pictured toasting staff in Downing Street during lockdown
Mr Johnson added: “The Committee seeks to rely on photographs of the events. However, those photographs support the fact that this was not obvious.”
Johnson’s 56th birthday
Addressing the event for which Mr Johnson received his one and only fine, his 56th birthday gathering – when indoor mixing was banned – he said: “It never occurred to me then or at any time prior to the police issuing the fixed penalty notice, that the event on 19 June 2020 was not in compliance with the rules or the guidance.
19 June 2020 gathering
“I was in the Cabinet Room for a work meeting and was joined by a small gathering of people, all of whom lived or were working in the building. We had a sandwich lunch together and they wished me Happy Birthday.
“I was not told in advance that this would happen. No cake was eaten, and no-one even sang ‘happy birthday’. The primary topic of conversation was the response to COVID.”
Read more:
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Inquiry unlikely to drive stake through the heart of Johnson’s political career
‘I could see into the press office on my way to the flat’
In another part of the evidence, Mr Johnson wrote: “For the avoidance of any doubt, I accept that I could see into the Press Office on my way to the flat, although my attention is often elsewhere when I am returning to the flat. There would be nothing unusual or untoward about that.”
Johnson confirms he attended ‘five events referenced by the committee in its fourth report’
During the evidence, Mr Johnson confirmed that he attended five events referenced to by the committee in its initial 24-page report.
These included: 20 May 2020 garden party; 19 June 2020 Johnson’s birthday party; 13 November 2020 two parties thought to have happened the day Dominic Cummings left; 27 November 2020 Cleo Watson’s [former aide to Mr Johnson] leaving party; 14 January 2021 a leaving party for two private secretaries.
US sanctions against Russia’s two largest energy companies, the state-owned Rosneft and privately held Lukoil, are perhaps the most significant economic measures imposed by the West since the invasion of Ukraine.
If fully implemented, they have the potential to significantly choke off the flow of fossil fuel revenue that funds Russia’s war machine, but their power lies not in directly denying Russia access to the tankers, ports and refineries that make the oil trade turn, but the US financial system that greases the wheels.
Ever since the invasion, the Russian government has proved masterful at evading sanctions, aided and abetted by allies of economic convenience and an oil industry with decades of experience.
Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy expresses relief at Trump move
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New US sanctions on Russia: What do we know?
While the West, principally the EU, has largely turned off the taps and stopped buying Russian oil, China, India and Turkey became the largest consumers, with a shadow fleet of tankers ensuring exports continued to flow.
Data from the Centre for Research into Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows that while fossil fuel revenues have fallen from more than €1bn a day before the war, they have remained above €600m since the start of 2023, only dipping towards €500m in the last month.
None of that oil has been heading for the US, but these sanctions will directly impact the ability of the Russian companies, and anyone doing business with them, to operate within America’s financial orbit.
According to the order from the US Office for Foreign Asset Control, the sanctions block all assets of the two companies, their subsidiaries and a number of named individuals, as well as preventing US citizens or financial institutions from doing business with them.
It also threatens foreign financial institutions that “facilitate transactions… involving Russia’s military-industrial base” with direct or secondary sanctions.
Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting in Moscow.
Pic: Sputnik/Reuters
In practice, the measures should prevent the two companies from accessing not just dollars, but trading markets, insurance and other services with any financial connection to the US.
Taken in harness with similar steps announced by the UK earlier this month, analysts believe they can have a genuinely chilling effect on the market for Russian oil and gas.
Russia’s customers for oil in China, India and Turkey will also be affected, with the largest companies, state-owned and private, expected to be unwilling to take the risk of engaging directly with sanctioned entities.
Indian companies are already reported to be “recalibrating” their imports following the announcement, which came just a week after Donald Trump announced an additional 25% import tariff on Indian goods as punishment for the country’s reliance on Russian oil.
Read more:
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Trump imposes sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil firms
That does not mean that Russian oil and gas exports will cease. There are other unsanctioned Russian energy companies that can still trade, and ever since the first barrel of oil was tapped, the industry has proved adept at evading sanctions intended to interrupt its flow from one country or another.
Any significant increase in the oil price beyond the 5% seen in the aftermath of the announcement could also put pressure on the White House, which is at least as sensitive to fuel prices at home as it is to foreign wars.
But analysts Kpler expect the sanctions to cause “an immediate, short-term hiatus in Russian crude exports, as it will take time for sellers to reorganise and rebuild their trading systems to circumvent restrictions and ease buyers’ concerns”.
And Russian gas will, for now, continue to flow into Europe, where distaste for Vladimir Putin‘s imperial ambitions has not killed the appetite for his fuel. While the EU has this week imposed sanctions on liquified natural gas (LNG), they will not be fully enforced until 2027.
World
Dublin protests: Prams filled with fireworks as teens – and children as young as seven – clash with police
At least 23 people have been arrested during a second night of violent disorder near an asylum hotel in Dublin.
Two police officers were taken to hospital with injuries sustained during clashes with protesters – including one who was struck on the head by a bottle.
A Sky News crew was caught in the confusion as police charged at crowds, who were throwing fireworks, stones and other debris.
Pic: PA
It is the third night of demonstrations at the Citywest Hotel following an alleged sexual assault in the early hours of Monday morning.
A demonstration in the wake of the incident, which allegedly involved a 10-year-old girl, turned violent on Tuesday night. A police officer was injured and six arrests were made.
A 26-year-old man, who cannot be named due to rules that apply to all sexual assault cases in the Republic of Ireland, appeared in court on Tuesday charged over the alleged attack.
Gardai officers block protesters near the Citywest Hotel in Dublin. Pic: PA
Police had earlier pledged a “robust response” if the violence continued.
Between 7pm and 8pm, hundreds of protesters faced off with around 40 uniformed officers.
The uniformed officers were replaced with the Public Order Unit, who were carrying plastic shields and additional body protection.
A police van was set on fire on Tuesday night.
Protesters detained after stand-off
Hundreds of protesters had been facing off against the public order unit of the Irish police force along Citywest Drive.
While large parts of the crowd dispersed throughout the night, an additional public order unit was deployed to tackle those remaining at the protest shortly after 10pm.
A number of protesters have been detained after fireworks and rocks were thrown at police. Pic: PA
Several of those caught between the two units were tackled and detained as they tried to flee.
Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said “many have been arrested” and “more will follow” – and went on to praise officers who had responded professionally to “thuggish violence” in the area.
Mr O’Callaghan vowed that those arrested would be “charged, named and dealt with relentlessly” by the criminal justice system.
World
Donald Trump imposes sanctions against Russia’s two biggest oil companies as frustration grows with Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war
Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies – and spoke of his frustration with Vladimir Putin.
In a major policy shift, new restrictions have been unveiled against Rosneft and Lukoil – as well as dozens of subsidiaries – due to “Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine”.
“Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
“Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine. We encourage our allies to join us in, and adhere to, these sanctions.”
The move marked a significant change for the Trump administration, which has veered between pressuring Moscow and taking a more conciliatory approach aimed at securing peace in Ukraine.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the White House. Pic: Reuters
Trump frustrated with Putin
The US president has resisted pressure to impose energy sanctions on Russia, hoping that Putin would agree to end the fighting. But with no end in sight, he said he felt it was time.
Mr Trump explained he has a “very good relationship” with his Russian counterpart, but felt he had to cancel their planned meeting as “it didn’t feel right to me”.
In a sign of growing frustration, he told reporters: “It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get. So I cancelled it. But we’ll do it in the future.
“I have good conversations. And then, they don’t go anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere.”
He also hinted that the sanctions could be lifted if the Russian president was prepared to cooperate in peace talks.
“We hope that they [the sanctions] won’t be on for long,” he said in the Oval Office. “We hope that the war will be settled.”
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Putin-Trump talks: The view from Moscow
Trump wants Xi to help with Ukraine
Ahead of a meeting next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, Mr Trump said he would like Beijing to help put pressure on Moscow to halt the fighting.
“I think he [Xi] can have a big influence on Putin. I think he can have a big influence … he’s a respected man. He’s a very strong leader of a very big country. And we will certainly be talking about Russia-Ukraine,” he said.
Xi and Putin have formed a strategic alliance between their countries.
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Why Tomahawks are off the table
Ukraine denied Tomahawk missiles
However, Mr Trump warned he is not prepared to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, which Kyiv has requested.
He explained it would take the Ukrainians up to a year to learn how to use the “highly complex” weapons.
“The only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot … is if we shot it. And we’re not going to do that.
“It takes a year of intense training to learn how to use it, and we know how to use it, and we’re not going to be teaching other people.”
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