Johnson ‘must resign’ if he misled MPS over No 10 party
TORIES yesterday told Boris Johnson that he should resign if he is found to have misled Parliament over an alleged party in Downing Street last December.
Tory MPS erupted in anger after leaked footage emerged on Tuesday night of No10 aides appearing to joke about an event having taken place in contravention of Covid restrictions last Christmas.
Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, said it seemed “undeniable” that “some sort of party” had occurred in Downing Street at the end of last year while London was in Tier 3 lockdown measures. He warned that Mr Johnson “cannot continue in the highest office in the land” if he “knew about it” but “said in Parliament there was no party”, thereby having “misled” the Commons.
The Prime Minister attempted to draw a line under the issue by announcing that Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, would investigate what had happened. Mr Johnson again insisted, however, that he had been “repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party, and that no Covid rules were broken”.
Critics last night called for the inquiry to be widened to examine separate claims that rule-breaching parties took place in Downing Street on other dates in the autumn last year.
Mr Johnson also declared he was “sickened and furious” about the video of his former press secretary Allegra Stratton and other aides appearing to joke about a party having taken place last December. He told MPS that he apologised “unreservedly for the offence that it has caused” and “the impression that it gives”.
Later in the day Ms Stratton said in a tearful statement outside her home that she had resigned as a senior adviser to Mr Johnson. She offered her own “profound” apology for having appeared to “make light of the rules” and said she would “regret those remarks for the rest of my days”.
The Prime Minister’s announcement of a new investigation failed to assuage anger in many quarters of his party.
Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links, the former Scottish Tory leader, characterised the move as saying “we’ll investigate what we’ve spent a week saying didn’t happen and discipline staff for rules we continue to say weren’t broken”.
Other Tories meanwhile accused the Government of attempting to distract from the escalating row by bringing forward new Covid restrictions.
William Wragg, chairman of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, declared the measures a “diversionary tactic” that would fail to convince people.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Johnson refuted the suggestion, insisting he would not take decisions on Covid passports and working from home “without consulting the Cabinet”.
Fears also rose among Tory MPS that
the disquiet was gaining traction in North Shropshire ahead of the by-election next Thursday.
Reports of the issue being raised unprompted on the doorstep were circulated, as one Conservative warned the debacle may “kill off” the party’s chances of holding the constituency.
Last night, Mr Johnson came under pressure to widen the investigation into the alleged party on Dec 18 2020 to also examine claims that parties took place in Downing Street on other dates last year, including on Nov 13 and Nov 27.
It came as details of a party on Dec 14, at Conservative Campaign HQ, emerged last night. The party, which was attended by 25 people, was connected to the campaign of Shaun Bailey, the Tory candidate in the London mayoral race. Following a report in The Times, a Tory spokesman said: “Senior CCHQ [Conservative Campaign HQ] staff became aware of an unauthorised social gathering in the basement of Matthew Parker Street. Disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff.”
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police said it would not “commence an investigation at this time” into the alleged December party, but warned that it could consider any further evidence unearthed in the internal investigation.