Boris Johnson was unfairly attending a party in lockdown but that doesn’t mean he should resign, a minister has said.
The Prime Minister has been fined for breaching Covid laws but Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he had not acted “with malice or intent”.
Every opposition party has said Mr Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak must step down after being fined on Tuesday.
But Cabinet ministers have backed the couple and only one Tory MP has publicly called on Mr Johnson to step down.
- Will there be more fines for No. 10 parties?
- The Covid rules if Downing Street parties have been held
- PM should quit over fines, says bereaved mother
The Metropolitan Police have so far handed out more than 50 fines for lockdown-breaking parties at government buildings and more are expected.
Speaking at the BBC Breakfast, Mr Shapps said Mr Johnson was “shamed” and “incredibly embarrassed” to have been fined.
The Prime Minister, his wife Carrie and Mr Sunak paid assessed fines of £50 for attending a surprise birthday party for Mr Johnson at Downing Street on June 19, 2020 – when social gatherings of more than two people inside were banned by law.
More than 70 Tory MPs have expressed their support for the Prime Minister, including some who had previously called for his resignation.
Mr Shapps said the Prime Minister should have left the party, adding: “It was wrong. He apologized, he took responsibility.
“I’m not trying to justify it, but I also know it wasn’t done with malice or intent — even though it shouldn’t have happened.”
And Welsh Minister Simon Hart has said Mr Johnson should not step down as Prime Minister even if he is fined again.
Speaking to BBC Wales, he added: “The principles are the same whether it’s going to be a fine or two.”
But Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak had “dishonored” their positions and the sacrifices the public had made to stop the spread of Covid and must now go.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford also called for resignations.
A group representing families affected by Covid said there was “just no way” both men could continue their jobs and called their actions “truly shameless”.
Amanda McEgan, whose daughter Isabel died during the pandemic, said the Prime Minister’s behavior during lockdowns has made restrictions on the 19-year-old’s funeral “more hurtful”.
All Cabinet ministers have publicly supported Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak, with the exception of Home Secretary Priti Patel, who is responsible for policing in England and Wales. A source close to her told the BBC she supported the PM but could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
Nigel Mills is currently the only Tory MP known to have publicly said Mr Johnson should go, telling BBC Radio Derby: “I don’t think his position is tenable”.
Others who called for his resignation earlier in the year, including Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, have now said they don’t believe he should.
On Tuesday, the prime minister said he accepted “in all sincerity that people have the right to expect better” of him.
He claimed the party, which he was fined for attending, was “short”, lasting “less than 10 minutes” and it “didn’t occur to him” that it would be breaking the rules.
But he added: “Obviously the police realized otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation.”
Reports of parties being held at Downing Street during lockdown first surfaced in December last year, with Mr Johnson initially insisting that “guidelines have been followed at all times”.
Mr Sunak also told the Commons: “I have not attended any parties.”
The prime minister then ordered an inquiry into the rule-breaking allegations, led by senior official Sue Gray.
The Met initially said it would not investigate the allegations retrospectively unless “significant evidence” of a breach of the regulations was presented.
But after Ms Gray leaked information to officers, they launched their own investigation.
Her full report will not be released until the Met completes its investigation.
Add Comment