Scathing report finds Boris Johnson deliberately misled UK Parliament over ‘partygate’

By DANICA KIRKA and SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A committee of lawmakers has harshly rebuked former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In a report issued on Thursday, the House of Commons Privileges Committee said Johnson lied to Parliament about lockdown-flouting parties and was complicit in a campaign to intimidate those investigating his conduct during the coronavirus pandemic. The committee found Johnson’s actions were such a flagrant violation of the rules that they warranted a 90-day suspension from Parliament. That sanction would have been more than enough to trigger a by-election that could have cost Johnson his seat in Parliament. But the former prime minister avoided that ignominy by resigning last week after the committee gave him advance notice of its findings.