Claim

Johnson denied allegations made in The Sunday Times by journalist Charlotte Edwardes that he had squeezed her thigh during a lunch at The Spectator in 1999. Asked about the claims, he said it was “inevitable” he would face accusations because he was trying to deliver Brexit.

Facts

Edwardes had written: “Under the table, I feel Johnson’s hand on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze. His hand is high up my leg and he has enough inner flesh beneath his fingers to make me sit suddenly upright.” Edwardes claims she confided in the other woman sat next to Johnson at the event who then said he had done the same to her. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Channel 4 News: “I know Charlotte well and I entirely trust what she has to say.”

Verdict

Either Edwardes or Johnson is lying.