Boris Johnson partygate inquiry faces new obstacle to proving his guilt

The investigation into whether Boris Johnson knowingly misled MPs over partygate is struggling to prove his guilt as whistleblowers have been told they will not be anonymous.

The Telegraph has talked to witnesses who have submitted evidence, allies of Mr Johnson, and figures familiar with the Privileges Committee’s inquiry to ascertain its progress.

Witnesses have been told they will be named alongside their evidence to the former prime minister, unless there are exceptional circumstances, causing some to be hesitant about speaking out.  

The inquiry, ordered by MPs last April, has been beset by delays, with TV hearings for key individuals starting in March at the earliest and the report possibly not ready until the summer.

The committee is trying to secure WhatsApp messages and emails which show Mr Johnson knew the scale of lockdown-breaking partying in government while he issued blanket denials.

But some of their requests have been returned blank. Many witnesses do not have their government phones from the time or were never privy to such conversations among senior officials.

Lawyer pushes to speak on Johnson’s behalf

The push has been complicated by a legal battle raging behind the scenes, as Mr Johnson’s legal representatives, including Lord Pannick, continue to challenge the committee’s approach.

The Telegraph can reveal that a second submission co-written by Lord Pannick has been made to the committee, but not made public, seeking changes to Mr Johnson’s televised evidence session.

It argues that the former prime minister’s lawyer should be able to answer questions on his behalf – something the committee is insisting would break recent precedent and require a full vote of MPs to approve.

“There is no good reason, in our opinion, why Mr Johnson should be denied the opportunity to have his counsel address the committee as a ‘witness’ on any issues of principle which arise,” one line of the submission is understood to read.

Harriet Harman, the Labour chairman of the committee, has been directly liaising with whistle-blowers considering giving testimony, both over the phone and in face-to-face rendezvous.

Ex-PM has dismissed claims he lied

But witnesses have been told to assume they will be named alongside their evidence when it is presented to Mr Johnson. “It is like telling the mafia”, said one witness.

The Privileges Committee is investigating whether Mr Johnson was in contempt of Parliament by misleading MPs in his denials of Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street during lockdowns.

It means in effect they must prove not just that Mr Johnson told factually inaccurate information to MPs but that he did so knowing that his denials were not true.

Mr Johnson has dismissed such accusations, saying the idea he lied to MPs about partygate was “strictly for the birds”.

A spokesman for the Privileges Committee said: “The committee is currently analysing written evidence submitted to the inquiry by the Government in November, in addition to further written evidence received from witnesses by the deadline of 7 February. The committee is continuing to meet regularly to progress the inquiry expeditiously.”