Boris Johnson has seemingly refused to recognise that parties in Whitehall and Downing street breached lockdown rules at the time. It comes after 20 fixed penalty notices were issued this morning, according to Scotland Yard.
The Prime Minister stood before a liaison committee of senior MPs today (March 30) where he dodged questions on whether he believed the 'partygate' scandal was in direct breach of the government's own lockdown rules imposed across the country. One question, in particular, asked Mr Johnson if he believed he would be "toast" if the police handed him a fine for breaking his own rules - he refused to comment.
It comes after Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the issuing of fines is a sign that "there were breaches of the law". He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Clearly there were breaches of the regulations. That is the only thing that can warrant the 20 fixed penalty notices. That must follow."
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At the Liaison Committee, SNP MP Pete Wishart asked Mr Johnson to accept “there has been criminality committed”, given Scotland Yard’s decision to issue FPNs.
The Prime Minister said: “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.”
He added: “I won’t give a running commentary on an ongoing investigation.”
“I think you’re just going to have to hold your horses and wait until the conclusion of the investigation when there will be a lot more clarity,” Mr Johnson said.
He noted that he was not one of the people who were issued a fixed penalty notice but "I'm sure you would know if I were."
Earlier at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer suggested Mr Johnson should resign for misleading the House by denying the allegations of wrongdoing at the parties during England’s coronavirus lockdowns.
“He told the House no rules were broken in Downing Street during lockdown. The police have now concluded there was widespread criminality,” the Labour leader and former director of public prosecutions said.
The Ministerial Code says that ministers who knowingly mislead the House should resign. Why is he still here?”
The Prime Minister said: “Of course the Met, the investigators, must get on with their job, but in the meantime… we are going to get on with our job.
“That means tackling the cost of living, addressing the UK’s energy supply and improving education.
“That’s what we’re focusing on and I think that’s what the people in this country want us to focus on.”
Although Mr Johnson is not expected to be among the first group to be hit with fines, the Met have indicated they expect to issue more fixed penalty notices as their investigations continue.
During a round of Wednesday morning broadcast interviews Mr Raab insisted Mr Johnson had not been aware of the “infractions” when he repeatedly told MPs there had not been any breach of the law.
The Prime Minister had been speaking to the best of his knowledge at the time, Mr Raab said, and had not deliberately lied – even though he had been at some of the events which were under investigation.
“I think it is rather different to say that he lied, which suggests that he was deliberately misleading. The PM has not to date been issued with a fixed penalty notice,” Mr Raab told BBC Breakfast.
“Clearly we had the investigations because of the claims, the assertions that were made, which it was right to follow up, and it is clear there were breaches of the law.
“But to jump from that to say the Prime Minister deliberately misled Parliament rather than answering to the best of his ability is just not right.”
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