Boris Johnson has sworn 'hand on heart' he did not lie to MPs about partygate events in Downing Street - and said a gathering where he was pictured holding a glass in the air was 'absolutely essential for work purposes'.
"I will believe till the day I die that it was my job to thank staff for what they had done, especially during a crisis like COVID, which kept coming back, which seemed to have no end," he said.
When questioned about a photo of one of the events in November 2020, which shows the former PM appearing to cheers staff with a drink as they gathered closely, he said:"I believe it was absolutely essential for work purposes." Mr Johnson is facing the committee in its first public hearing over whether he deliberately misled parliament while he was prime minister when denying he broke COVID lockdown rules during parties in Downing Street.
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