70% of those asked said they believed Boris Johnson lied to Parliament about Downing Street parties, compared to just 12% who believe that he did not lie,
An overwhelming majority of voters believe Boris Johnson lied to Parliament about Downing Street parties, an exclusive poll for LFF has found.
70% of those asked said they believed Boris Johnson lied to Parliament about Downing Street parties, compared to just 12% who believe that he did not lie, according to the poll carried out by Savanta ComRes.
It comes after the Met issued fines to some of those who attended illegal lockdown parties in Downing Street and Whitehall, though as of yet Boris Johnson has not himself been fined.
For weeks Johnson, along with some of his senior ministers, insisted that no rules were broken and that the guidelines were followed. The ministerial code states that ministers who knowingly mislead the house should resign.
On Wednesday 1 December 2021, Johnson told the Commons that “all guidance was followed completely” at No 10 when asked about the parties by Keir Starmer. On 7 December, in an interview with the BBC, Johnson once again insisted that ‘all guidelines were observed’.
The Met’s decision to issue fines has led to allegations Johnson lied to Parliament. Following news of the fines, Labour MP Chris Bryant wrote on Twitter: “The PM and others said for weeks that “no rules were broken”. We know today for an absolute fact that these were lies. He is not fit to lead us.”
During Prime Minister’s Questions last week, Keir Starmer told the Commons: “He told the house, no rules were broken in Downing Street during lockdown. The police have now concluded there was widespread criminality. The ministerial code says that ministers who knowingly mislead the house should resign.
“Why is he still here?”.
The polling results show that when broken down by party affiliation, 55% of Conservative Party voters believe Johnson lied to Parliament, as do 89% of Labour Party voters and 84% of Lib Dem voters. The figure for Green Party voters stands at 92%.
When it comes to a regional breakdown, 73% of voters in the North East believe Johnson lied to Parliament, as do 66% in the North West, 75% of those from Yorkshire and the Humber and 67% of respondents from London.
Only yesterday, Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed that the prime minister hadn’t lied and that he was given ‘incorrect information’. It seems as though the public certainly isn’t buying Rees-Mogg’s latest attempt to get Johnson off the hook.
The question asked was the following: Which of the following is closer to your view?
Boris Johnson lied to Parliament about Downing Street parties
Boris Johnson did not lie to Parliament about Downing Street parties
Don’t know
Representative poll of 2184 GB adults. Prepared by Savanta: ComRes 2220
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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