Partygate: key moments from Boris Johnson's grilling by MPs

Former prime minister Boris Johnson was left fighting for his political career after a three-and-a-half-hour evidence session with the privileges committee in parliament on Wednesday.

Harriet Harman, the chair of the committee, is leading an investigation into whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown gatherings. The former prime minister insisted 'hand on heart', he had not lied to the Commons over workplace gatherings in Downing Street during the pandemic. Throughout the evidence gathering session, Johnson repeatedly assured MPs as far as he was aware members of his government had acted within the guidelines he had set out for the rest of the country. The former MP faces being suspended from parliament if the committee decides he 'recklessly' misled the House.

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[TheHookahSmokingCaterpillar]

He's made a career out of lying. Why would he stop now?

[steveparker]

If born on a working-class council estate he'd be lucky to have a job and would probably be the local nuisance that everyone avoids. Entitled and privileged as he is, no one has ever taught him the fundamentals of life, decency, fidelity, comradery or compassion. Exactly the type that never should attain power and yet they do frequently in the UK...

[martinjones]

They should have asked him "Is your toasting of a work colleague more important than a person fare-welling their dying parent"

[glennfarr]

If only PMQs was like this. "Enough of your prepared BS, now answer the f***ing question!"

[penguinista]

Luckily Boris has built himself a reputation for being honest and honorable that he can fall back on now. LOL
It is not as if he got famous by lying about what was happening in Brussels.

[lesleywright]

He gets so angry when confronted with the truth, where’s daddy now doris!!

[sjbechet]

If they didn't break any rules why didn't they contest the fines for breaking the rules in court?

[eveann]

The subtle tremors in his voice he’s about to break its juicy. He’s grilled to almost a golden brown. Meat is almost beaten to a pulp. Beautiful

[darthlazurus]

And England made this man Prime Minister.

[enbyennui]

That final "and May 25th, and numerous other occasions" from the committee member was a perfect cap to this laughable testimony

[sue_downing]

when you get caught doing wrong, cheating, in a larger pattern of deceptive behavior, then you lie and tell more lies to cover up your behavior and lie about telling lies

[utubebroadcaster]

"Anyone in the committee who sides with Boris will gain knighthood"
Boris Johnson

[JaseboMonkeyRex]

Anyone who has to put their hand in heart and earnestly state that I honestly did no wrong is probably covering up that they did do the wrong.... And given we have some insight into what happened he's not telling the truth. The man is a pathological liar and has a supreme ego that I don't think has any boundaries.... One thing is for certain, he has absolutely no shame .🤬

[briandelaney]

I doubt Boris would know what “hand on heart “ signifies. Such a liar

[Brian-omhh]

One commentator posted that Boris Johnson bluffs and blusters his way through each 5 second period of questioning. He's got the technique off to a fine art. He genuinely seems to feel that he simply is not bound by the constraints other are. There are *still* many unanswered questions....

[kiangee]

On one hand he said "drinks changed hands, pens didn't", yet on the other hand he claimed those were 'essential' work functions. Oh dear, Boris is hoisted by his own petard...

[clayton]

I didn’t know I was breaking my own laws because my colleagues didn’t say anything

[angelafiengo]

I want to make a premise before going on, I'm an Italian living in Italy so in theory I shouldn't express opinions, but listening to Johnson makes me feel fooled by this person, but I have prejudices against this person because the same one who laughed while we were in lockdown and thousands of people died in Italy and I still remember when he said that we were the usual Italians who exaggerated.

[jonasv.c.]

Behold narcissistic entitlement in the flesh.

[tonesmca]

It doesnt matter "what was in his heart or mind", that defense was not acceptable for countless others across the country during the pandemic, who have been prosecuted/fined for similar breaches.

We all know he is a pathologically liar, his school teacher has said so, several bosses have said so, some of his friends have said so, some of his colleagues have said so... and he has been caught and exposed as a liar multiple times as a politician.