Boris Johnson has faced fresh calls from Tory MPs to consider his position but dodged questions about whether he misled parliament, saying only that he would make a statement next week to clarify his knowledge of Covid rule-breaking parties.
The prime minister was weakened further when the solicitor general, Alex Chalk, refused to defend him and said senior politicians had a special duty to “act in a way that is beyond reproach”.
Despite efforts by Johnson’s allies to buttress the prime minister and avoid the threat of a no-confidence vote escalating after he was fined by police, more Conservative MPs went public to criticise his attendance at a birthday celebration in No 10 during England’s first national lockdown.
Those who spoke out on Thursday included the former cabinet minister Karen Bradley and Neil Hudson, the MP for Penrith and the Border.
“I do wish to make it clear that if I had been a minister found to have broken the laws that I passed, I would be tendering my resignation now,” said Bradley, who added that she would consult her Staffordshire Moorlands constituents before deciding what action to take.
Although Johnson apologised this week for attending the birthday gathering in June 2020, Bradley said that “law-breaking in Downing Street is unforgivable”, though she cautioned that, given the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “we all need to act responsibly so as to not make the situation worse”.
Hudson also said he would not “defend the indefensible” and it was “extremely disappointing” that Johnson and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had received fixed-penalty notices. “The fact that the lawmakers went on to break those very laws they brought in to keep us all safe is deeply damaging for our democracy,” he said. “That situation is untenable.”
Hudson was wary of changing prime ministers in the midst of what he called an international crisis, but he said Johnson should “show the statesmanship he has been showing with Ukraine and outline a timetable and process for an orderly transition to a leadership election as soon as the international situation permits”.
Chalk also refused to defend Johnson, saying the reports of disregard for Covid rules in Downing Street during the pandemic were “painful, angering and upsetting”.
Recalling how he lost someone he cared for to the virus, and attended one funeral on Zoom and another where only a small number of mourners were allowed, Chalk said he had a “visceral sympathy” for those people who had made huge sacrifices.
“It’s why I am not prepared to defend this – or indeed other similar instances,” Chalk told his local news website, Gloucestershire Live. “There is a special duty on lawmakers and senior officials to act in a way that is beyond reproach, particularly during a pandemic, when actions impact on public health.”
Colleagues had thought Chalk may stand down but he did not suggest that, adding in his radio statement that it was “absolutely right that there has been a fulsome and abject apology” from Johnson.
The prime minister four times refused to answer questions about Partygate on Thursday, telling journalists at a press conference that he would set out his position when the House of Commons returned from its Easter break next week.
Pressed on whether he had misled parliament by telling MPs on 1 December last year that “all guidance was followed completely in No 10”, and whether he would quit if the Met issued him with penalties for further Covid law breaches, Johnson said: “I’ll be saying more when I update parliament, as you can imagine, next week. You’ll probably have to wait until then for me to say more on that.”
Johnson did win support from home secretary, Priti Patel, whose role covers law and order. During a trip to Rwanda she said she would not “give a running commentary as there’s an investigation ongoing”, but that the prime minister had “given a very thorough and fulsome apology and should be respected for that”.
