Former British prime inister Boris Johnson is fighting for his political future after MPs investigating his partygate denials denounced the “flimsy” assurances on which they were based on.
During a testimony that lasted three hours, where he was short-tempered at times, Mr Johnson insisted there was not a “shred of evidence” to show he lied to MPs.
It would have been “utterly insane” for him to have misled Parliament, he told the privileges committee, which could recommend his suspension from the Commons.
If a proposal for a 10-day suspension is voted through by MPs, a by-election could be held in Mr Johnson’s constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, possibly spelling the end of his parliamentary career.
He told MPs with “hand on heart” that he did not lie to Parliament as he gave evidence to a committee hearing into claims he misled parliament over the partygate scandal.
Mr Johnson frequently stressed he believed he was acting within the rules and guidelines, for work purposes, despite accusations that there were social gatherings.
He also dragged Rishi Sunak into his hearing by suggesting that if it should have been obvious to him that lockdown rules were being broken in No 10, it should also have been apparent to “the current Prime Minister”.
If Mr Johnson is found in contempt and sanctions are recommended, this is likely to cause a headache for Mr Sunak.
He has said he would not seek to influence MPs on the committee and was expected to grant a free vote in the Commons on any sanction that may be recommended.
In an interim report the committee said the evidence strongly suggested that breaches of coronavirus rules in No 10 Downing St should have been “obvious” to Mr Johnson.
Shown a picture of one gathering, he sought to defend the decision to proceed, despite Covid-19 stipulations on social distancing.
"I accept that perfect social distancing is not being observed but that does not mean that what we were doing, in my view, is incompatible with the guidance."
Committee member Sir Bernard Jenkin asked Mr Johnson whether his advice to other organisations during the coronavirus pandemic would have been that leaving celebrations were acceptable.
He told him the coronavirus guidance “does not say you can have a thank-you party”.
Mr Johnson said: “I believed that this event was not only reasonably necessary but it was essential for work purposes.”
The scandal, which rocked the government in 2021 and 2022, led to police fines for many of those involved, including Mr Johnson, and damaged the reputation of the government.
Members are examining evidence related to at least four occasions when he may have deliberately misled MPs with his assurances to the Commons that rules were being followed.
Chairing the Tory-majority committee, Labour veteran Harriet Harman said the evidence raises “clear questions” and that the hearing was Mr Johnson’s “opportunity to give us his answers”.
If he fails to convince the committee that he did not deliberately mislead the Commons, he could be found to have committed a contempt of Parliament.
The full House of Commons would vote on any recommendations and Mr Sunak has agreed to give Tory MPs a free vote on their conscience over Mr Johnson’s fate.
In a defence dossier published on Tuesday, Mr Johnson acknowledged that he misled Parliament, but that he did so unknowingly based on information he had received from aides.
In his opening statement, Mr Johnson told the committee there were a number of gatherings over “tricky months” which went past the point where they could be said to be necessary for work purposes.
“I'm here to say to you, hand on heart, that I did not lie to the house," he said.
"When those statements were made they were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly believed at the time."
Mr Johnson placed great stock in the assurances he had received as prime minister and the fact that no one around had expressed concerns themselves, while also making much of the fact there is no evidence that he ever received warnings about breaches of guidance.
He said the committee had been investigating the events for more than 10 months and found nothing to show he was warned in advance that the gatherings broke lockdown rules.
Mr Johnson said claims by his former aide Dominic Cummings that he had raised concerns with him was “unsupported by any documentary evidence” and “plainly cannot be relied on”.
“He has every motive to lie,” Mr Johnson said.
He called on the committee to release all the evidence it has assembled.
“The best and fairest course now would be for the committee to publish all the evidence it has assembled so parliament and the public can judge for themselves,” Mr Johnson said.
“Despite my repeated requests, the committee has refused to do this.”
Mr Johnson said it “seemed to be the view of the committee and, sadly, many members of the public” that pictures showed him attending “rule-breaking parties when no one was social distancing”.
“They show nothing of the kind,” he said. “They show me giving a few words of thanks at a work event for a departing colleague.”
Boris Johnson delivers farewell speech at 10 Downing Street — in pictures
“They show me with my red box, passing on the way to another meeting or heading back into my flat to carry on working, often late into the night.
“They show a few people standing together as permitted by the guidance where full social distancing is not possible and where mitigating measures are taken.
“They show events which I was never fined for attending.”
Mr Johnson said the public will have had the impression that these were “covert photos” that have been obtained by the media.
“The vast majority were in fact taken by the official Number 10 photographer.
"To say that we would have held events in Number 10 while allowing these events to be immortalised by an official photographer is staggeringly implausible."
Mr Johnson said he and others in the building did not believe it was necessary or possible to have a two-metre or one-metre “electrified force field around every human being”, and that is “emphatically not what the guidance proscribed”.
He said there were “real difficulties” working efficiently and at speed in a “cramped and narrow 18th-century townhouse”, but people working in Downing Street did socially distance and “gave way to each other as wide a berth as we could”.
“My belief was that we were following the rules and the guidance to the best of our ability given the circumstances,” he said.
Asked where the screens and mitigation measures were in a photo at a leaving do for Lee Cain, the former director of communications at Downing Street, Mr Johnson said: "There were screens or barriers, I believe, in the adjacent press room.
"This is an impromptu gathering at which I am thanking staff ― at least one member of staff ― for his contribution during Covid.
"I believe it was an important part of my job to do that, that was the best place to do it."
Mr Johnson, referring to the image of Mr Cain's leaving event, replied: "I understand that people looking at that photograph will think it looks like a social event.
"It was not a social event. If anybody thinks I was partying during lockdown, they are completely wrong. That was not a party."
Asked whether he would have told other organisations, if asked at a government pandemic press conference, that they could hold "unsocially distanced farewell gatherings", Mr Johnson said: "I would have said it is up to organisations, as the guidance says, to decide how they are going to implement the guidance amongst them.
"Where they can't do social distancing perfectly, they can't maintain two metres or one metre, they are entitled to have mitigations.
"And we did indeed have plenty of mitigations."
He said he corrected the record on the day of Sue Gray's report and six days after the completion of the police investigation.
“If the committee's view is that I shouldn't have come to the house and provided an inevitably incomplete account while a government investigation was going on, including events I hadn't even attended, I fundamentally disagree.”
Opening the session, Ms Harman said “everyone makes mistakes” but they are required to correct them at the earliest occasion.
“In this inquiry we are not looking at the rights or wrongs of the first Covid rules or guidance,” she said.
“What the house has mandated us to look at is whether Mr Johnson told the truth to Parliament.
“It is about the truth and that is why the inquiry goes to the heart of the trust on which our system of accountability depends.”
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
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The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
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The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Elvis
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Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
