Embroiled in yet another controversy for allegedly breaking lockdown rules, former British Premier Boris Johnson dismissed allegations against him as “total nonsense”, arguing that the entries recently discovered in his ministerial journal were “cherry-picked and handed to police”.
This whole thing is a load of nonsense from beginning to end. I think it’s ridiculous that elements in my diary should be cherry-picked and handed over to the police, to the privileges committee without even anybody having the basic common sense to ask me what these entries referred to,” he told Sky News as he made his way to the Dulles International Airport in Washington, United States.
Johnson’s denial comes after he was referred to the police by the Cabinet Office on Wednesday after his official diary was reviewed as part of the ongoing COVID inquiry against him. Asked if the contents of the diary showed him “mingling with friends”, the erstwhile PM refuted “that is absolutely not what these diary entries show”.
I just think it’s totally nonsensical and bizarre that there are tens of thousands of entries in the prime minister’s diary. I’ve never seen these things before,” he continued.
“I have looked through it. None of them constitute a breach of the rules during COVID, they weren’t during lockdown. They were during other periods of the restrictions. None of them constitute a breach of the rules. None of them involve socialising. It is total nonsense,” Johnson reiterated.
Johnson is currently under investigation by the privileges committee which is attempting to determine whether he misled the parliament by denying his role in the Partygate scandal. Earlier on Friday, the committee revealed that new government evidence had surfaced amid the inquiry.