Whitehall Partygate inquiry to start soon

Boris Johnson will be probed over the Partygate scandal within weeks as the Privileges Committee speeds up its inquiry, according to MPs.

The seven-strong committee, which investigates misconduct allegations against MPs, will reportedly soon begin to hear evidence from witnesses up to three times a week. They will decide whether the former prime minister misled Parliament. The body could recommend Johnson be suspended from the House of Commons.

Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Rhondda and chairman of the Commons Committee on Standards, said the probe would haunt any bid by Johnson to return to Downing Street.

He added: “We’ve got to a stage now where the people of this country think the only way you can press the reset button is to have a general election.

“Penny Mordaunt never said a word in Cabinet against the mini-budget that led to the economic crash that we’ve had.

“Rishi Sunak backs Boris Johnson all the way up until the very last moment, despite all the lies and of course was himself involved in Partygate and Boris Johnson is a disgraced prime minister.

“He’s unfit for office. His biggest problem is, he will be spending probably the first two months of his second premiership, entirely focused on the privileges inquiry.”