Partygate not a reason for Boris Johnson to resign, minister says

The partygate scandal that has engulfed Boris Johnson's government is not a reason to resign, a minister has told ITV's Peston.

When asked if the PM should resign over the scandal, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told ITV's Peston show: "I don't think it is actually, I think the prime minister has at all times outlined to Parliament, and outlined what he understood and believed to be the truth.

"That is exactly what he should be doing as a minister, let alone as prime minister, and I think he has done that."When pressed on the topic he said: "I think he has at all times outlined to people both in the House and outside the House what he understood to be the true position, the reality, the truth of what happened.

"That's absolutely within the Ministerial Code."

Mr Lewis added he believed Mr Johnson was the right person to lead the country through both the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Johnson refused to accept coronavirus rules were broken on Downing Street during the pandemic, despite the first partygate fines being issued by the police on Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Police issued 20 fixed penalty notices relating to a probe into 12 gatherings held on government premises during the pandemic.

The fines were only the first in what is expected to be a series of penalties issued by the police.

The prime minister repeatedly ducked questions on the topic at both PMQs and in front of the liaison committee.The PM told the committee: "I have been, I hope, very frank with the House about where I think we have gone wrong and the things that I regret, that I apologise for.

"But there is an ongoing investigation... I am going to camp pretty firmly on my position."

Although many Tory MPs have quietened their criticism of the PM since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, there is still mixed messaging coming out of the government.

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Dominic Raab earlier accepted that the fines show rules were broken, but defended Mr Johnson by saying he gave MPs the "best information he had at the time".

The deputy PM said it would be up to Mr Johnson to decide if he wanted to correct the record.

Mr Johnson is not one of those to have received fines in the first tranche of fixed penalty notices but he is one of more than 100 people being investigated by police under Operation Hillman, as the probe is known.

It is understood the PM attended at least six of the gatherings however his defence is that it was always part of his working day.

Number 10 has confirmed it will reveal if Mr Johnson is fined by police, but will not name any other individuals except Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, who is among the other most high-profile people being investigated.