Five things we learned from Boris’s Privileges Committee grilling

Boris Johnson has just finished a mammoth three hour evidence session in front of the Privileges Committee inquiry into whether he misled the House about Covid guidance being broken in No. 10. It was a combative affair at times with Johnson displaying flashes of anger and irritation – understandable given it was twice as long as the Liaison Committee grillings he was used to as PM.

If this were a boxing match, it would appear to be decided on a points decision, with neither side being able to land a killer blow: Johnson looked on the ropes at times but the committee were unable to conclusively prove that the ex-premier had knowingly misled the House. Still despite all the heat, there was some light in the proceedings, ahead of the committee’s forthcoming report. Below are five things we learned from Boris Johnson’s evidence session.

Was No. 10 an exception to the rules?

Johnson was probed about photographs of him at Lee Cain’s leaving drinks in November 2020 and then his attendance at Cleo Watson’s bash a fortnight later.