Yahoo News The important news you missed while Boris Johnson was being questioned
Rishi Sunak's tax returns, inflation, and a sizeable bonus for Centrica's boss were among the stories buried under Boris.
What just happened? Boris Johnson received a grilling from a panel of MPs who are investigating whether the former prime minister misled parliament over lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street.
He sat before the privileges committee during a three-hour-session on Wednesday, insisting he "did not lie to the House" when he said no rules were broken during gatherings held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He admitted he mislead parliament after the Partygate scandal emerged, but said his statements were "made in good faith" and on the basis of what he "honestly knew and believed at the time".
The former PM was accused of relying on "flimsy" assurances of officials who were wrong, and using the word of his advisers as a “deflection mechanism”. If he is found to have lied he could be suspended or even lose his seat.
It was one of the biggest stories of the day, but there were some other important developments worth keeping on top of. Here, Yahoo News recaps the news you missed while Johnson was being questioned:
Watch the highlights as Boris Johnson grilled by MPs over Downing Street lockdown parties (The Independent, 1 min)
Rishi Sunak's taxes
Following months of political pressure, Rishi Sunak released his tax return details showing his income as chancellor and prime minister.
With his predecessor in the hot seat, you could call it a good day to bury bad news, which was picked up on by Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokeswoman Christine Jardine.
After long promising to release his tax returns, Jardine claimed Sunak "snuck them out whilst the world is distracted with Boris Johnson's Partygate grilling", burying them under other headlines.
His tax figures showed he paid £432,493 in tax in 2021/22. This included £325,826 in capital gains tax and £120,604 in UK income tax on a total of £1.9m in the last tax year.
He was shown to have earned £4.766m across 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22, paying a total of £1.053m in tax – an overall effective tax rate of 22%.
Rishi Sunak releases tax return details showing income while chancellor and prime minister (Sky News, 5 mins)
Inflation going up
In news that will make a difference to everyone's lives – prices were shown to have risen unexpectedly in February, with inflation jumping to 10.4%.
This was mainly driven by food and non-alcoholic drinks rising to their highest prices in nearly 45 years, as well as price hikes in pubs and restaurants, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Inflation was calculated at 10.4% from January's 10.1%, although it is still down from a 41-year high of 11.1% in October.
However, Alpesh Paleja, the lead economist at the Confederation of British Industry, added that there was some hope for the months ahead, as consumer energy prices are expected to decrease in line with a dip in wholesale energy prices.
Inflation rises to 10.4% in surprise reversal of recent trend (Evening Standard, 3 mins)
British Gas boss gets huge bonus
The boss of British Gas owner Centrica may also have been grateful that Boris Johnson dominated the headlines on Wednesday.
Chris O’Shea was revealed to have been handed a £4.5m pay package for 2022, after being awarded a £1.4m bonus on top of his £790,000 salary and a £2.3m long-term share bonus.
It comes as Centrica enjoy huge profits during a global energy crisis, and amid an investigation into claims subcontractors for British Gas forced their way into vulnerable people's homes to install pre-payment meters.
Centrica boss Chris O'Shea sees pay for 2022 reach £4.5m despite prepayment meter investigation (Sky News, 2 mins)
Carol Vorderman 'disgusted' by two ministers at menopause hearing
Former Countdown host Carol Vorderman said she was "absolutely disgusted" by the words and actions of two female ministers as she appeared before a panel of MPs to discuss menopause in the workplace.
The frustrated TV personality noted that the women’s minister Maria Caulfield could not “be bothered to turn up” to the Women and Equalities Committee hearing.
She also said she'd been "horrified" by comments made by equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, who appeared before the committee at the beginning of the month.
Dismissing the idea that menopause should have legally protected status, Badenoch said women can already call on anti-discrimination measures based on age, sex and disability, likening menopause to "being short" or "having ginger hair".
In a passionate response, Vorderman said: “I could not, as a woman, a postmenopausal woman who is from a working- class background, get over the patronising statements that she made. I thought they were insulting, they were insulting to all women.”
