Jacob Rees-Mogg says Boris Johnson would not need to resign if he was interviewed by the police

Leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg said Boris Johnson would not need to resign if he was interviewed by the police as people are innocent until proven guilty.

Mr Rees-Mogg said in his experience, “very few people do lie in public life” and he added that “lying in public life is not a sensible thing to do, because it gets found out”.

Asked if Mr Johnson would need to resign if he was interviewed under caution by police, he told Channel 4 News: “No, of course that wouldn’t be a resigning matter, because people are innocent in this country until proved guilty.

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg
Aaron Chown

“And it is worth bearing in mind that the police themselves have said that the fact that they are investigating something doesn’t mean that any crime has necessarily been committed, that they are investigating because that is what the police do.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg also said Boris Johnson would be able to make his statement to Parliament on the Gray report on Thursday or Friday if the Prime Minister has received it.

The Commons Leader said: “The House will sit tomorrow from 9.30am, it will be possible to have a statement tomorrow and actually Friday is a sitting Friday so the business of the House carries on and an important statement of this kind can come to the House with considerable flexibility.”