Who is lying, Johnson or Cummings?

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, facing a series of charges of 10 Downing Street hosting parties and social gatherings during Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions imposed on the general public, appears to be in no mood to resign.

While Johnson has admitted his misjudgement in attending an “impromptu party” of 40 staffers at the official residence on May 20, 2020, when the rest of the public could go out only on essential work, maintain social distancing, he has of late appeared unwilling to take responsibility. But on Tuesday, Johnson’s former key aide Dominic Cummings, who was the premier’s chief strategy adviser and who has turned a fierce critic, accused him of lying to parliament about the “drinks gathering” at 10 Downing Street during the lockdown. Cummings said that he would “swear under oath” that he had warned Johnson about the party and had urged him to cancel it.

Cummings claimed on Twitter that the prime minister was told about the invite to a drinks party and that “he lied to parliament”. Noted Cummings: “Amid discussion over the future of the Cabinet Secretary and the principal private secretary himself, which had been going on for days, I said to the PM something like: ‘Martin’s invited the building to a drinks party, this is what I’m talking about, you’ve got to grip this madhouse’. The PM waved it aside.”