Devastating result for Johnson in Partygate investigation More than 700 refugees on board: Photo shows fishing cutter just before sinking

Boris Johnson has lied to parliament time and time again, according to a commission of inquiry. This is evident from an investigation into statements made by Johnson in the so-called Partygate scandal.

According to the inquiry published Thursday, the commission sought to ban the former British Conservative prime minister from the House of Commons for 90 days for these and other crimes. Johnson should have met voters again in his constituency.

Johnson anticipated the sanction last week by resigning. At the recommended length, the sentence would have been considerably more severe than previously believed.

The ex-prime minister had repeatedly stated in parliament that there had been no illegal lockdown parties in his seat of government during the pandemic. When that was no longer tenable, he denied knowing anything about it or having been there himself. Everything later turned out to be wrong. Johnson later said he only reported what he knew. But the committee did not accept that.

Johnson reacted angrily to the report and denied being dishonest. In a lengthy statement, he accused the parliamentary committee of being biased and claimed that the outcome of the investigation was politically motivated to get rid of him. The statement that he had deliberately misled the House of Commons was “nonsense,” he wrote, adding: “That is a lie. To reach this insane conclusion, the committee must say a number of things that are blatantly absurd or contradict with the facts.” (saw/sda/dpa)