Andrew RT Davies and Simon Hart defend Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak after partygate fines

The two most senior Welsh Conservatives have defended the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer who remain under fire after they were fined for breaching Covid lockdown rules. 

But all the other political parties here in Wales have called for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to resign.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies and Welsh Secretary Simon Hart faced questions about the conduct of their UK Government colleagues as they launched the party’s local election manifesto.

Asked if he feared the fines and coverage of parties in Downing Street might overshadow May’s local elections, Andrew RT Davies said that “all election campaigns obviously play out against the backdrop of what's going on nationally or internationally. 

“Internationally, we know there's a crisis in the Ukraine, which we've been at the forefront, the UK Government leading the charge both in humanitarian aid and defensive aid to the Ukrainian government, as we saw Boris Johnson in Ukraine last Saturday, and the President of Ukraine has said how powerful Boris Johnson has been in supporting them in their goals.”

And he insisted that the Prime Minister has accepted criticism of his behaviour and pledged to face MPs when a report by the senior civil servant Sue Gray is published in full. She’s previously published an interim report. 

“Obviously the Prime Minister has apologised. He's committed to go to parliament when the Sue Gray report is published in full and he’ll be questioned by his peers on the floor of the House of Commons. 

“So he's not shying away from scrutiny. He has obviously accepted the process, he has paid the fine. What's really important now is that the UK Government get on with the job in hand of dealing with the cost of living pressures that’a affecting the globe, and also supporting Ukrainian government in their fight against the dictator Putin.”

I asked Simon Hart if he feared the controversy would damage Conservative chances in the Welsh local elections.

He said, “I hope not because I do think that you know, I've always had great faith in voters to be able to make a very clear distinction between a local election which is about local issues and local services and the and the big political, the UK wide political picture.”

But, I put to him, Conservative supporters are “very keen on law and order... It's in your DNA as a party and yet your party at the highest level is not well, following law and order.”

He responded: “You're absolutely right party members, activists, supporters, voters believe in that but they also recognise that there are appropriate sanctions for appropriate breaches of regulation. 

“My personal view is that people in public life shouldn't necessarily expect to lose their job on top of the sanction that might be handed down to them, the fixed penalty notice. 

“For me, if the sanction is appropriate, whether you happen to be the prime minister or whether you happen to be the health minister in Cardiff, or whether you happen to be a citizen going about your normal duty.”

Other parties do not share these views.

The First Minister has said “You can’t be a law-maker and a law-breaker. The Prime Minister has denied time and again that he did anything wrong.

"He has clearly broken the laws he made and asked people to follow. People are angry and upset.

"I don’t see how someone in this position can carry on."

Plaid Cymru MP, Hywel Williams said, "I think the prime minister will have to resign and also his Chancellor. 

“The facts are quite clear. Everybody knows that he's been sanctioned breaking a rule that he made himself with his cabinet for everyone else and all the people who have been suffering have been saying the same thing to me many emails over the last few days."

Speaking for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Rhys Taylor said “We're calling for parliament to be recalled. 

“Parliament and MPs need to hear from the Prime Minister and the Chancellor about what happened. Then MPs need to be given the opportunity to vote in a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister."