Tories’ blasé attitude to scandal is vulgar

THE excuses emanating from the mouth of the Prime Minister over ‘Partygate’ are not only laughable and embarrassing but more seriously are deeply insulting to the millions of people who obeyed Covid rules.

The latest excuse, reported on Monday, was that “nobody told me that what we were doing was against the rules”, which is so pathetic that it renders one almost speechless.

There is a legal principle which holds that “a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content.”

Whether this incident is covered by legislation or merely guidance, is irrelevant as the same principle applies, but this excuse is even more damning when it is used by someone who was involved in presenting the rules to the public.

Millions of other people knew the rules and abided by them!

Anyway, anyone claiming that “no one told me” about rules governing what is a major pandemic should automatically debar them from the highest office in the land.

However, on the contrary, we have the unedifying sight of cabinet colleagues being wheeled out trying to defend the indefensible and their actions are equally as offensive.

There is no doubt that civil servant scapegoats in the cabinet office are already being lined up on the premise that the PM cannot be expected to know everything that is going on in No 10, but I cannot imagine such shenanigans that we are being told about happening in the days of, say, Margaret Thatcher.

The truth is that the culture at the top of government is dictated by the present incumbent who appears to have no morals and what has been described as having a loose association with the truth.

An honourable man would have resigned, but unfortunately we are lumbered with a man with no honour.

JEFF DINNING, Tynemouth