The ex-prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, sends his last letter to Partygate.

UK ex-PM Boris Johnson has sent a last-minute letter to the “Members of Parliament (MPs)” who are investigating allegations of him misleading Parliament regarding lockdown parties as they prepare to release their findings. The privileges committee confirmed that they received the submissions from the former Prime Minister at 23:57 on Monday. Although the committee had initially planned to publish its conclusions on Wednesday, it is now expected to delay the release.

Mr. Johnson resigned as an MP last week after reviewing the committee’s report. He stated that the committee should promptly publish their report and allow the world to assess what he called their baseless claims, emphasising that there is no justification for the delay. According to the established process, Mr. Johnson had the right to respond to the committee within 14 days after receiving the draught findings, which were sent to him last week.

The committee assured that it would handle these new developments and report promptly. Previously, Boris Johnson criticised the committee, labelling it a biased “kangaroo court” whose sole objective was to find him guilty, irrespective of the facts. He accused its chairwoman, Harriet Harman of the Labour Party, of demonstrating blatant bias. In response, the committee asserted that it had consistently followed the proper procedures and accused Mr. Johnson of undermining the integrity of the House with his statement.

For almost a year, the committee, consisting of seven members with a Conservative majority, has been examining whether Boris Johnson provided false information to MPs regarding COVID-19 breaches in Downing Street and his level of awareness concerning them. When he testified in March, Mr. Johnson admitted to inadvertently misleading Parliament but denied doing so intentionally.

The Partygate scandal has overshadowed Mr. Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister. In 2020, he was fined by the police for violating COVID regulations, becoming the first serving Prime Minister in the UK to face legal consequences. His resignation as an MP last Friday triggered a by-election in his closely contested constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Boris Johnson criticised the draught report he had reviewed, claiming that it was filled with inaccuracies and bias. He asserted that the committee was determined to use the proceedings against him as a means to force him out of Parliament