Boris Johnson is an honourable man, a Cabinet minister has insisted, as allies of the Prime Minister led a fightback against calls for him to resign over the Partygate affair.
Mr Johnson issued an apology after he was fined £50 on Tuesday for breaking Covid-19 laws by attending a gathering to mark his birthday in Number 10 in June 2020. But while he said he deeply regretted the “frustration and anger caused” he made it clear he had no intention of quitting.
