The Prime Minister’s former chief advisor Dominic Cummings has said that he would testify under oath that he has “lied to Parliament about parties.”
Cummings has spoken out and said that he told Boris Johnson to get a grip over the Downing Street “madhouse” and claims he also warned him over the “drinks party” on 20 May 2020.
Cummings said on Monday that Johnson “waved it aside” when his concerns were expressed over the Martin Reynolds the principal private secretary’s email inviting more than 100 Downing Street staff to a “bring your own booze” party.
Cummings said regarding the 20 May 2020 party and “never mind the string of other events” Johsno had “lied to Parliament about parties” during lockdown.
He said, “Not only me but other eyewitnesses who discussed this at the time would swear under oath this is what happened.”
Westminster’s SNP leader Ian Blackford said that Cummings must be interviewed by Sue Gray as part of her investigation into the series of alledged parties that were held during lockdown.
Blackford said that if Cummings is not included in “the inquiry it will not be worth the paper it is written on.”
“The Prime Minister’s former chief adviser, who was in post at the time Boris Johnson broke the law, has said he is willing to testify on oath that the prime minister was warned about the Downing Street party, allowed it to go ahead anyway, attended it himself, and then lied to Parliament.
“Lying to Parliament would be a clear breach of the ministerial code alone, and would require the prime minister to resign immediately.
“That makes Mr Cummings a key witness in Sue Gray’s inquiry.
“Without his account, the inquiry will not be worth the paper it is written on.
“The Prime Minister must now confirm that Sue Gray will interview Dominic Cummings as part of her investigation.
“Mr Johnson must then come to Parliament and put on record whether he believes Mr Cummings is lying, or whether he will finally admit that he has repeatedly lied to Parliament and the people himself.
“Tory MPs must decide how much longer they are willing to cover for a man who is so evidently unfit for office.”
Cummings said he had warned Reynolds that his emailed invite to staff “broke the rules,” in an updated blog post on Monday.
“Amid discussion over the future of the cabinet secretary and PPS himself, which had been going on for days, I said to the PM something like: ‘Martin’s invited the building to a drinks party, this is what I’m talking about, you’ve got to grip this madhouse’.
“The PM waved it aside.
“The events of May 20 alone, never mind the string of other events, mean the PM lied to Parliament about parties.
“Not only me but other eyewitnesses who discussed this at the time would swear under oath this is what happened.”
A No 10 spokesperson said in response, “It is untrue that the prime minister was warned about the event in advance. As he said earlier this week he believed implicitly that this was a work event.
“He has apologised to the House and is committed to making a further statement once the investigation concludes.”
Leave a Commment