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British prime minister Boris Johnson will face a parliamentary investigation after MPs agreed to refer him over claims he misled Parliament about Downing Street parties during Covid-19 lockdowns.
The Labour motion on Thursday passed without a vote after receiving no objections, with No 10 opting against tabling its own delay amendment.
The decision means MPs on the Privileges Committee will investigate whether Mr Johnson is in contempt of Parliament for misleading the Commons with his repeated denials of lockdown-busting parties in No 10.
The investigation will only begin after Scotland Yard has completed its own inquiry into alleged coronavirus law breaches at the heart of Government.
In response to a backbench revolt, ministers abandoned attempts to force Conservative MPs to vote for a delay in setting up any investigation.
Police will withhold any updates on their investigation into alleged breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules at gatherings and parties in Downing Street until after next month’s local elections, the Metropolitan Police said on Thursday.



Labour leader Keir Starmer speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Photograph: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire


Large parts of Britain are due to vote in elections for local and regional authority positions on May 5th in what will be interpreted as a measure of the damage caused to Johnson’s Conservative leadership by the so-called “partygate” scandal.
“Whilst the investigation will continue during the pre-election period, due to the restrictions around communicating before the May local elections, we will not provide further updates until after 5 May,” a spokesperson for the force said in an e-mailed statement.
Earlier, Labour leader Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson had tried to “cover up his misdeeds” by taking advantage of the Commons convention not to call someone a liar.
“The prime minister has stood before this House and said things that are not true, safe in the knowledge that he will not be accused of lying because he can’t be,” Sir Keir said. “He has stood at that despatch box and point blank denied rule-breaking took place, when it did.
“As he did so, he was hoping to gain extra protection from our good faith that no prime minister would deliberately mislead the House.”
‘Long gone’
Mr Johnson missed the Commons vote on the motion because he is on an official visit to India.
Tory MPs had initially been ordered to back a government amendment which would defer any decision on referring the matter to the committee until after the conclusion of the Met Police inquiry.
But in a late U-turn shortly before the debate began, Commons leader Mark Spencer said there would be a free vote for Tory MPs.
The scale of Tory unease was set out by public administration and constitutional affairs committee chairman William Wragg, who confirmed he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson’s leadership.
“I cannot reconcile myself to the prime minister’s continued leadership of our country and the Conservative Party,” he told MPs.
In a scathing speech, Mr Wragg said: “There can be few colleagues on this side of the House I would contend who are truly enjoying being members of parliament at the moment.
“It is utterly depressing to be asked to defend the indefensible. Each time part of us withers.”
Former minister Steve Baker, an influential organiser on the Tory benches, said Mr Johnson “should be long gone”.
“Really, the prime minister should just know the gig’s up,” Mr Baker, who was a prominent Brexiteer involved in ousting Theresa May, said.
Asked on the first day of his trade mission to India whether he knowingly or unknowingly misled parliament, Mr Johnson said: “Of course not.”
He told reporters: “I’m very keen for every possible form of scrutiny and the House of Commons can do whatever it wants to do. But all I would say is I don’t think that should happen until the investigation is completed.” – PA