“I can’t remember exactly what was in my diary at that point in time but because I travel a lot and because I have a lot of commitments both in the international community and here in the UK, it is often the case that I miss votes”

James Cleverly, Foreign Secretary, Sky News

22 June 2023

Facts

Cleverly was among more than 200 Conservative MPs - including PM Rishi Sunak - who failed to take part in the Commons vote on the Privileges Committee report, which found Johnson had repeatedly misled parliament over partygate.

When asked on Sky News why he didn’t attend the vote on 19 June, he said “I can’t remember” and suggested he might have been travelling at the time.

BBC footage shows James Cleverly walking into a drinks party right across the road from parliament at the time of the Privileges Committee Report vote.

Verdict

Either James Cleverly has a very poor short term memory - or he was giving a false impression to Sky News viewers about his movements.

We emailed James Cleverly’s parliamentary office and the FCDO offering him the chance to respond. The email was received by both, but no reply.

Previous Next