Boris Johnson has repeatedly refused to say that he would resign if he is fined by police over Partygate in a tense interview.
The Prime Minister was grilled over his own future after he submitted a legal questionnaire to Scotland Yard on Friday as part of the force's probe into rule-breaking parties.
Officers are investigating 12 lockdown gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall, including six events Mr Johnson is believed to have attended.
These include a BYOB drinks party in the Downing Street garden in May 2020 and a gathering in Mr Johnson's No11 flat in November 2020.
More than 50 people - including the PM - are being sent formal questionnaires by police about their involvement in allegations of Covid rule-breaking.
Mr Johnson repeatedly dodged questions about whether he would resign, telling the BBC he could not give a running commentary.
"I can't comment about a process that's underway," Mr Johnson said.
Mr Johnson said: "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to give you full and detailed answers on all this stuff. I genuinely can't because we've got a process under way - there is not a jot I can say until it is done."
Asked if he could understand why people doubted his excuses, he said: "There is simply not a bean I can tell you about that."
Pressed further, he added: "I understand your curiosity, I totally accept it, but you're just going to have to accept for the time being - and you won't have long, I hope - but for the time being you're going to have to contain your interest.
"I will be saying a lot more about it in due course."
Asked if he was burying his head in the sand over the row, Mr Johnson said: "I am fortunate to live in a democracy.
"I am fortunate to be the PM of a free independent democratic country where people can take that sort of decision, and where I do face that sort of pressure, that's a wonderful thing."
Europe Minister James Cleverly said the PM should not resign if he is slapped with a fine amid a spiralling crisis in Ukraine.
He told Sky News' Trevor Phillips on Sunday: "I don't think what the country needs at the moment is a vacuum at the centre of Government when we are dealing with our recovery from Covid, the accumulation of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, making sure that the the health service is able to deal with the sad, the unfortunate but nevertheless obvious, backlog that's been created by Covid.
"That's what the country needs. That's what I believe the Prime Minister should be doing."
One of the PM’s greatest supporters, Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries declared: "The Prime Minister gave me my job as a Secretary of State, and for that I owe him my absolute undying loyalty."
But Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said he was not fit to be Prime Minister.
He said: "If Johnson is found to have broken the law, he must fess up and resign. No more cover-ups, no more lies.
"If he won't resign, Conservative MPs must do the right thing and sack him. For a sitting Prime Minister to be found guilty of breaking the law would be unprecedented and put to bed once and for all the Conservative Party’s claim to be the party of law and order.”
Mr Johnson is expected to resist attempts to kick him out of office over the Partygate saga, which triggered anger on his own back benches.
Many Tory MPs are believed to be waiting for the results of the police probe before deciding whether to press for a no confidence vote in Mr Johnson.
If 15% of Conservatives - or 54 MPs - write to the backbench 1922 Committee to express no confidence in their leader then a vote is called.
Mr Johnson would have to hold onto the support of 50% of the parliamentary party to survive this - but a vote would be politically damaging even if he wins.
Even if he avoids a fine, there is still the looming prospect of Sue Gray's report into Partygate which was put on ice while the police investigate.
The top civil servant was critical of the culture in Downing Street in her interim update, where she firmly said some of the parties should not have been allowed to happen.
