Boris Johnson has defended his attendance at Number 10 leaving parties during lockdown as ‘right’ and ‘part of my job’. The Prime Minister has resisted calls to resign, despite the damning report from Sue Gray.
Her report, published today, has heavily criticised both the gatherings which took place in Downing Street and Whitehall, and the leadership which allowed such shindigs to occur. It has led to polls suggesting three out of five Brits think the PM should go.
Mr Johnson has again apologised for his attendance at the events, but has also insisted that it was ‘part of my job’ to go. He made the comments during a televised press conference this afternoon.
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Mr Johnson said: “I’ve tried to explain the context of why I was at other events where I was saying farewell to valued colleagues. I know that some people will think it was wrong to even do that. I have to say I respectfully disagree, I think it was right.
“When people who were working very hard, for very long hours, when they are giving up a huge amount to serve their country and they are moving on to some other part of government or leaving government service altogether, I think it is right to thank them. I repeat what I said in the Commons earlier on, I believe that they were work events, part of my job, and that view appears to be substantiated by the fact that I wasn’t fined for those events.”
Sue Gray’s 60-page document also blasted the way in which maintenance staff like security and cleaners were treated. On this point, the Prime Minister added: “For the rest, I just want to say I appreciate that things didn’t go in the way I would have wanted. The events proceeded afterwards in a way I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to see. What happened with the custodians and the cleaners was plainly utterly unacceptable and I apologise for that, as I have apologised to them personally.”
Following the release of the report, Labour MPs from across Greater Manchester have called on the PM to resign. In the House of Commons, Lucy Powell sitting on the Labour frontbench, could be heard shouting "you're an embarrassment" as Mr Johnson continued with his statement.
Fellow Manchester MP Afzal Khan called on the Prime Minister to go, he said: "The laws broken by the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and others were not victimless crimes. They were not silly rules and meaningless red tape, they were designed to protect lives.
"The doctors and nurses who cared for my relatives at North Manchester General Hospital were not clocking off for 'wine time Friday', so for the first time in his life, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and resign?" Mr Johnson said: "No".
Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader, urged backbench Tory MPs to hand in letters of no confidence to Altrincham MP Sir Graham Brady, who heads up the 1922 Committee. He said: "Members on the opposite benches now also need to show leadership.
"This Prime Minister is steering the country in the wrong direction. They can hide in the backseat, eyes covered, praying for a miracle or they can act. Stop this out-of-touch, out-of-control Prime Minister from driving Britain towards disaster."
It is understood that Mr Johnson will address Tory MPs in a private meeting this evening.
