Officials say Boris Johnson possibly misled parliament over the extent of lockdown ruling-breaking during his tenure as prime minister.

The parliamentary Privileges Committee, who are investigating the allegations, issued an update today on their inquiry ahead of Mr Johnson giving oral evidence in public on the week of March 20. 

The group, whose inquiries are being led by Labour MP Harriet Harman, said: ‘The evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings.’

The committee also quoted two WhatsApp messages they say show ‘evidence that those who were advising Mr Johnson about what to say to the press and in the House were themselves struggling to contend that some gatherings were within the rules.’

One of those texts, from then-Downing Street director of communications Jack Doyle in response to possibly describing an event as ‘reasonably necessary for work purposes’, read: ‘not sure that one works does it. 

‘Also blows another great gaping hole in the PM’s account doesn’t it?’

The committee added there was evidence that parliament had been misled in a variety of ways and on different occasions.

They said: ‘The Committee will want to hear from Mr Johnson why, instead of correcting the record at the earliest opportunity, he declined to answer questions that were within his direct knowledge.’

Earlier in February, the inquiry was reported to be zeroing in on an Abba-themed party, held just hours after Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, Downing Street’s former chief adviser and director of communications respectively, left Mr Johnson’s team following a power struggle with Mr Johnson’s then-partner and now-wife, Carrie Symonds.

Mr Johnson has consistently denied having knowingly misled parliament as to Downing Street parties that contravened his own government’s rules and guidance during his premiership.

Prior to the parliamentary committee’s inquiry, the allegations against the former prime minister had already been the subject of two other investigations: one by the Metropolitan Police, and another by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

Earlier this week, it emerged that Ms Gray has been offered the position of chief of staff by Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer. 

Allies of Mr Johnson have described the job offer as evidence that the allegations against him were part of a ‘deliberate and manufactured plot to oust a Brexit-backing conservative prime minister.’

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