In what is sure to go down as one of the most breathtakingly brazen defences of modern times, Boris Johnson is tipped to admit to the Metropolitan Police that he mingled at six illicit parties in Downing Street during lockdown – but that they were “part of his working day”.
A few days ago, the Prime Minister received a questionnaire from Scotland Yard as part of Operation Hillman, the Downing Street parties probe. For once, Johnson will need to provide a credible explanation as to why he stood shoulder to shoulder with aides – when millions were separated from seeing their dying relatives – or risk being handed a fixed penalty notice, as well as (possibly) his P45.
The excuse the PM and his team of private lawyers have concocted will likely involve admitting to having attended at least some of the half a dozen or so events, but that they were a “function” of his working day and that “saying goodbye to staff is part of working life”.
Does he realise how ridiculous this sounds? As The Hound previously reported, there was no such thing as a so-called “work event” in the rules at the time, making the PM’s attendance a smoking gun from the get-go.
Johnson has been lauded by his group of dwindling supporters for getting the tough decisions right over the past two years. But could his decision to rely on this flimsy defence prove to be his political epitaph?
