British premier not ruling out Boris Johnson’s inclusion into Cabinet

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has refrained from closing doors on his predecessor Boris Johnson's possible inclusion into his Cabinet.

Answering a question on the idea of Johnson's involvement in Sunak's team, the prime minister said he has a great team and that he will not comment on reshuffling the Cabinet.

"It's great that we've got former prime ministers who want to contribute still to public life and feel that they can do that. That's a good thing," Sunak told the ConservativeHome, a pro-Conservative party portal, on Thursday.

The prime minister also answered questions from the viewers of the live stream.

When asked about people who say Sunak cannot be trusted because he helped to bring down Johnson, the British premier said he resigned over economic policy and he is now trying to unite the party. "The past is the past."

Johnson was forced to swear on a Bible last month that he did not knowingly mislead parliament over illegal government parties during the coronavirus pandemic known as the Partygate scandal.

Speaking before a committee that is investigating his social distancing breaches during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Johnson said "hand on heart, I did not lie to the House."

After submitting his 52-page defense, he gave an oral plea to the Privileges Committee, starting by swearing an oath on the Bible. Johnson said he accepts that he misled parliament by his statements that social distancing rules and guidance had been followed completely at Downing Street but stressed that the statements were made in good faith.

"When I said that the rules and the guidance had been followed … I'm here to say to you, hand on heart, that I did not lie to the House (of Commons) when those statements were made. They were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly knew and believed at the time."

Once the committee concludes its probe, it will decide whether Johnson misled parliament. The committee will report its findings and recommendations to the House of Commons if Johnson is found guilty by the committee. All members of parliament (MPs) will then vote to ratify or disagree with their conclusions and any recommended sanctions.