Committee of Privileges

The Committee of Privileges is a House of Commons select committee which considers matters relating to parliamentary privilege. One issue has been referred to the committee in the 2024 Parliament.

This briefing outlines the committee’s role and matters referred to it since 1979.

Remit and powers of the Committee of Privileges

The remit and powers of the Committee of Privileges are set out in Standing Order No 148A. It is appointed to “consider specific matters relating to privileges referred to it by the House”.

Parliamentary privilege grants certain legal immunities for Members of both Houses of Parliament so they can perform their duties without outside interference. This includes freedom of speech and the right of both Houses to regulate their own affairs.

Erskine May explains that when these rights and immunities are disregarded or attacked, this is a “breach of privilege”. A privilege matter is essentially whether the House has been impeded in a way that affects how it performs its duties.

The committee has the power to appoint sub-committees. Both the committee and its sub-committees have the usual select committee powers “to send for persons, papers and records”; to sit while the House is adjourned and to appoint specialist advisers. Like the Committee on Standards, it has the explicit power to appoint legal advisers.

The committee also has the power “to order the attendance of any Member before the committee and to require that specific documents or records in the possession of a Member relating to its inquiries be laid before the committee or any sub-committee”.

Matters referred to the Committee of Privileges

The Committee of Privileges currently has one matter before it.

Legal proceedings by the Charity Commission that prevented a report from being laid before the House

On 4 September 2025, the House of Commons referred to the Committee of Privileges “the actions of the Charity Commission in bringing legal proceedings that would prevent the laying of a report before this House”.

Inquiry requiring a decision of the House of Commons Request from the Omagh Bombing inquiry for a transcript of unreported evidence taken by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in 2009

On 14 July 2025, the House of Commons referred to the Committee of Privileges a request from the secretary of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry for evidence taken by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that was not reported to the House of Commons.

The Committee of Privileges has recommended that the House should be asked to provide the unreported evidence to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry (PDF).

The committee expressed concern that the previous government appeared to overlook constitutional proprieties by authorising the inquiry to examine unpublished select committee evidence. It welcomed the inquiry’s assurance that the evidence would be subject to the inquiry’s protocol to check material relevant to national security and any necessary security check.

Recently completed inquiries Conduct of Boris Johnson

On 21 April 2022, the House of Commons referred the question of whether Boris Johnson had misled the House through his statements on gatherings at Downing Street and Whitehall during lockdown, to the Committee of Privileges.

On 15 June 2023, the committee published its final report on this matter.

The committee found that Boris Johnson had deliberately misled the House and “committed a serious contempt of the House.”

The committee recommended that if Boris Johnson were still an MP, then he should be suspended from the House for 90 days. On 9 June, Mr Johnson announced he would resign as an MP. His resignation was confirmed on 12 June. The committee also recommended that he should not be entitled to a former Member’s House of Commons security pass to access Parliament.

On Monday 19 June 2023, the House of Commons approved the committee’s report on Boris Johnson by 354 votes to seven.

Special Report on interference

When the Committee of Privileges published its report on Boris Johnson, it said it would make a Special Report on attempts to undermine the committee’s and its members’ credibility.

This report, Matter referred on 21 April 2022: Co-ordinated campaign of interference in the work of the Privileges Committee (PDF), was published on 29 June 2023. In it the committee said it was “concerned in particular at the involvement of Members of both Houses in attempting to influence the outcome of the inquiry.”

The House debated the report on 10 July 2023.

Conduct of John Nicolson

On 29 November 2022, the House of Commons referred the actions and subsequent conduct of John Nicolson MP to the committee. This was in relation to correspondence from the Speaker on a matter of privilege.

On 23 November 2022, the Speaker made a statement noting that correspondence regarding privileges matters should remain confidential. This was after Mr Nicolson had written to the Speaker asking to make a complaint of a breach of privilege. The Speaker said that after he declined the application, Mr Nicolson had given “a partial and biased account” of the Speaker’s reply on Twitter. The Speaker said, in his statement, he was awaiting an apology from Mr Nicolson.

The Committee of Privileges’ conclusions (PDF) were published on 19 October 2023. The committee regarded Mr Nicolson’s behaviour as “highly regrettable”. His tweet was disruptive and his subsequent behaviour “nearly crossed the line into being a contempt”. Because Mr Nicolson co-operated with the committee and, through it, apologised to the Speaker, the committee recommended no further action should be taken.

The committee recommended that “steps be taken to improve the communication to Members of the House’s expectations as to the circumstances in which private exchanges with the Speaker, particularly in relation to privilege, are to be regarded as confidential”. In his statement on the duties and responsibilities of MPs at the beginning of the 2023–24 session, Mr Speaker reminded MPs of this. He did the same at the beginning of the 2024 Parliament.

Matters referred to the committee since 1979

Brief details of the cases referred to the committee since 1979 are reported in a separate annex to this briefing, available above.