Tory chairman still backs Boris
THE Tory party chairman has said it is “quite a speculation” to suggest that the Prime Minister will receive further fines as part of the police investigation into claims of lockdown parties in No 10.
Downing Street is said to be braced for Boris Johnson to receive a second fixed-penalty notice (FPN), after police reportedly began issuing fines on Friday relating to a “bring your own bottle” drinks do in the No 10 garden on May 20, 2020.
Oliver Dowden appeared to argue it was not a sure bet that the Conservative Party leader would be slapped with a second £50 punishment for breaking his government’s coronavirus laws.
The Cabinet minister, asked on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme about the prospect of additional fines for Mr Johnson, said: “I think in relation to these fines, we just have to let the police investigation happen. I think it is quite a speculation to assume there will be more fines issued.”
No 10 said on Friday the Prime Minister had not been fined in relation to the May 20 gathering, but he has previously admitted attending the gathering, held during England’s first lockdown, for around 25 minutes.
Mr Johnson has insisted to MPs that he believed it was a work event to thank staff for their efforts during the pandemic.
The Metropolitan Police has already fined Mr Johnson, along with his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, for their part in a birthday bash for the Prime Minister held in June 2020, when pandemic rules banned indoor gatherings. About 30 guests are said to have sung Happy Birthday to him.
Offering a resolute defence of Mr Johnson’s handling of the so-called ‘Partygate’ affair, Mr Dowden said he did not think a no confidence vote in the Prime Minister had become inevitable, as some members of his party have argued.
The Tory party chairman also said he believd the Prime Minister would lead the Tories into the next general election, which is currently scheduled for no later than January 2025.
The former culture secretary argued that changing the leader of the country during the current cost-of-living crisis and with a war raging in Ukraine would create “instability and uncertainty”.
However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC that the Prime Minister’s authority had been “shot through” by the allegations surrounding him and his administration.
Sir Keir called Downing Street “probably the most fined workplace in the whole of the United Kingdom”, adding: “And we’re not at the end of these fines yet.”
MPs agreed last week that Mr Johnson should face a parliamentary probe on whether he misled the House of Commons when previously batting away accusations of rule breaches in Downing Street.
The Privileges Committee probe is due to commence after the Scotland Yard inquiry has been wrapped up. Mr Dowden said he did not believe the Prime Minister had misled Parliament.