Thread by @ShepherdWales

Now we get onto what @BorisJohnson said in the HoC that could be held to be ‘misleading’

Worth noting that what he was actually asked is as important as what he then said in response

When you’re asked a specific question you answer that question

#SueGray #PrivilegesCommittee

Dec1st 2020 from PC 👇

Boris Johnson said:

‘…all guidance was followed completely in no 10’

As per the #PrivilegesCommittee initial report

But

Let’s look at what he was actually asked…

.@Keir_Starmer asked:

‘As millions of people were locked down last year was a Christmas Party thrown in Downing Street for dozens of people on December the 18th?’

That’s specific

So let’s look at Dec 18th again

➡️He wasn’t there. It was the Allegra video 👀

https://twitter.com/shepherdwales/status/1631952425123819523

Worth noting the #PrivilegesCommittee in their notes to Boris appear to demonstrate that they won’t be taking these words in the context of answering the specific question asked BUT will be effectively used to say that he said no one ever broke any guidance/rules during pandemic

So the next two instances of potential ‘misleading’ were at #PMQs on Dec 8th 2020

The #PrivilegesCommittee again makes no mention of what he was actually asked

So let’s take a look 👀

The first relates to a direct question from Catherine West MP

Catherine West MP asked:

‘Will the Prime Minister tell the house whether there was a party in Downing Street on 13th November’

So a specific question about a specific event

.@BorisJohnson responded:

‘No, but I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times’

It’s reasonable to assume the ‘No’ was the answer to whether he could say if there was a party or not

Let’s look at what the party was…

A leaving speech which the @metpoliceuk deemed was ‘necessary for work’ at the period in which @BorisJohnson was present 👇

https://twitter.com/shepherdwales/status/1631952410695413763

Next response is also on 8th December 2021 in #PMQs and bizarrely happened before the last one but I’m going in order of the #PrivilegesCommittee

It’s a longer quote and the context is that the week before: 1st December KS had asked IF there was a Christmas party on 18th Dec’21

The day before December 7th 2021 the Allegra Stratton video surfaced contradicting what the PM said the week before

Worth noting this was the 18th December party that he wasn’t at and there is no evidence (in public domain) that he knew about it

He started PMQs on the 8th December 2021:

Note: His stance has changed to repeatedly assured…

Suggesting he has asked his advisors and received assurance

He is responding to a specific event on a specific day

He set up the enquiry at this point

His opening words PMQs👇

.@Keir_Starmer then goes onto to ask again a specific question about that specific 18th Dec party to which Boris again states:

‘I have been repeatedly assured’

Now look at the context in which the #PrivilegesCommittee is taking these quotes

Again they aren’t looking at a specific answer to a specific question but judging the answers against covid rules at every gathering and presumably therefore daily life in No10 etc

From this point on, the enquiry was set up.

@borisjohnson simply asked people to wait for the results of the enquiry and for the HoC to concentrate on other things: like Ukraine if I recall 🥴

He repeated same response for weeks at #PMQs whilst Russia was preparing to invade

The report goes onto suggest that these comments may have misled the house because he must’ve been aware that covid rules (ie: social distancing) weren’t always being observed despite the fact he was being asked about specific events

It also goes onto suggest that he didn’t correct the record fast enough - but to do so would’ve prejudiced an enquiry and subsequently a police investigation which he kept stating

To prove Boris misled the house you have to prove that he knew about these specific events and considered them to not be within ‘necessary for work’ parameters

#SueGray #PrivilegesCommittee

I fail to see how they can prove it based on:

👉What he said & context
👉What he was asked
👉His actual presence at these specific events (from #SueGray report)
👉 Lack of FPN for them from the police for these specific events

#SueGrayGate #SueGray #PrivilegesCommittee

The narrative&wording of this report suggests they are not impartial towards @BorisJohnson

They will bend the parameters in order to try to sanction @BorisJohnson anyway

They want him to be guilty

@conservatives MPs it will down to you whether choose to allow this to happen

18th Dec 2020 not 21