Facts

The Justice Secretary made his remarks after Dominic Cummings, former senior adviser to the Prime Minister, accused Boris Johnson of lying after No 10 denied Johnson had been warned against allowing a “bring your own booze” garden party during lockdown.

Dominic Raab insisted that Boris Johnson’s story should be believed. But he added that lying was a resignation matter. “If it’s lying, deliberate in the way you describe, if it’s not corrected immediately, it would normally, under the Ministerial Code and the governance around parliament, be a resigning matter,” Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday.

Raab had said on Sky News earlier that Johnson was “confident he’s been straightforward” with parliament and said the “PM has been very clear” that Cummings’ claims were “not true or accurate”. For a full account of Raab’s remarks see The Guardian.

Boris Johnson has misled parliament countless times, documented on this website. He is yet to resign. 

Verdict

Dominic Raab was setting out how the Ministerial Code used to work, but doesn’t any more. 

We approached Dominic Raab’s office with the following question:

“We would like to draw your attention to a statement you made on January 18th 2022 on BBC Radio 4. You said, ‘If it’s lying, deliberate in the way you describe, if it’s not corrected immediately, it would normally, under the Ministerial Code and the governance around parliament, be a resigning matter.’

“Given that this website documents over 50 examples of the Prime Minister misleading parliament. Why have you not yet called for him to resign?”

No answer.