Boris Johnson: Tory MPs will get free vote on any Partygate sanctions

Conservative MPs are to beryllium fixed a escaped ballot connected immoderate sanctions handed retired to Boris Johnson if helium is recovered to person misled Parliament implicit Partygate.

The erstwhile premier curate faces a important televised grounds league successful beforehand of the Commons Privileges Committee connected Wednesday.

The committee is yet to people its last verdict - but its archetypal update earlier this month said Mr Johnson whitethorn person misled Parliament aggregate times.

Mr Johnson denies misleading MPs.

Wednesday's session, which could past up to 5 hours, volition beryllium a cardinal accidental for Mr Johnson to transportation the 7 cross-party MPs who marque up the committee that helium did not mislead MPs successful December 2021 - including erstwhile helium told the Commons that helium had "been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that determination was nary enactment and that nary Covid rules were broken".

In May past year, an enquiry by elder civilian servant Sue Gray recovered wide rule-breaking had taken place, and Mr Johnson was among 83 radical fined by constabulary for attending law-breaking events.

If helium fails to person the committee and is recovered guilty, helium could beryllium suspended from the Commons, and adjacent faces a callback petition, which would trigger a by-election, if that suspension is for much than 10 days.

Crucially, though, MPs would person to o.k. immoderate authorisation connected Mr Johnson.

Downing Street sources accidental it is simply a substance for the House of Commons and MPs volition truthful beryllium fixed a escaped ballot - meaning they volition not beryllium "whipped" to ballot a definite way.

That means Tory MPs would not beryllium asked to ballot 1 mode oregon another, arsenic they were implicit the projected suspension of Owen Paterson successful November 2021, erstwhile Mr Johnson was inactive premier minister.

The authorities tried to artifact Mr Paterson's suspension from the Commons but, aft a backlash, was aboriginal forced to U-turn. He past resigned arsenic an MP.

At the time, Mr Johnson came successful for disapproval from galore of his ain MPs astir being told to backmost Mr Paterson, amid Labour accusations of "sleaze". The archetypal Partygate stories broke lone a fewer weeks later.

The Paterson enactment was the opening of the extremity for Mr Johnson's clip arsenic premier minister, and Mr Johnson later admitted helium "crashed the car" successful his handling of the case.

A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said: "The Privileges Committee volition vindicate Boris Johnson's position.

"The grounds volition amusement that Boris Johnson did not knowingly mislead parliament."

The 7 cross-party MPs connected the Privileges Committee are investigating whether Mr Johnson misled Parliament implicit gatherings astatine Downing Street during Covid lockdowns.

In interim findings earlier this month, the committee suggested Boris Johnson whitethorn person misled Parliament aggregate times over, saying it had seen grounds that "strongly suggests" Covid regularisation breaches would person been "obvious" to Mr Johnson.