Page:Fifth Report - Matter referred on 21 April 2022 (conduct of Rt Hon Boris Johnson).pdf/74

 Mr Johnson misled the House when he said on 1 December 2021 that all Guidance was followed completely in No. 10, when he said on 8 December 2021 that the Rules and Guidance were followed at all times, on 12 January 2022 when he said that events at No. 10 were within the Rules and Guidance, and on 25 May 2022 when he said that the Rules and Guidance had been followed at all times when he was present at gatherings to wish staff farewell. See paragraph 117.

Mr Johnson misled the House when he failed to tell the House about his own knowledge of the gatherings where the Rules or Guidance had been broken. See paragraphs 23 to 94.

Mr Johnson misled the House when he said on 8 December 2021 that he relied upon repeated assurances that the rules had not been broken. There is evidence that Mr Johnson was assured by two individuals who had worked at No. 10 at the time that they did not think the gathering of 18 December 2020 had broken Covid rules—see paragraphs 136 to 144, and 176. However, we conclude that:

Mr Johnson had personal knowledge about gatherings which he should have disclosed. See paragraphs 23 to 94.

Mr Johnson concedes that there was no assurance about any gathering’s compliance with the guidance that was in place at the time (as opposed to compliance with the Covid rules), yet Mr Johnson gave the House the impression that those assurances had been overarching and comprehensive in respect of No. 10’s compliance with all Covid measures. See paragraphs 144, 146, 161, and 180 to 183.

The purported assurances were only about the gathering of 18 December 2020, not more generally about No. 10’s compliance with the Rules and Guidance, yet Mr Johnson gave the House the impression that those assurances had been overarching and comprehensive in respect of No. 10’s compliance with Covid measures across the whole period of restrictions. In particular, we have received no evidence that any specific assurance was provided in relation to the gatherings of 20 May 2020, 19 June 2020, 13 November 2020, 27 November 2020 and 14 January 2021 which we have examined in detail. See paragraphs 145, and 180 to 183.

The context for the initial purported assurance was in response to a media inquiry and the assertion that Covid rules were followed was initially developed in haste, and without further investigation, as a media line to take. They were therefore not appropriate for Mr Johnson to cite as an authoritative indication of No. 10’s compliance with Covid measures. See paragraphs 137 to 141.

The only two purported assurances for which there is firm evidence did not emanate from senior permanent civil servants or government lawyers but from two media advisers, one of whom was a personal political appointment by Mr Johnson. The purported assurances consisted only of what those individuals themselves believed about the compliance of the gathering of