Boris Johnson faced Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over the despatch box in the House of Commons today with more pressure piling on the Prime Minister.
With the row over Mr Johnson's Savile slur aimed at the Labour leader, as well as the ongoing investigations surrounding so-called 'partygate', there was plenty of heat generated during today's Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons.
Mr Johnson is also facing more criticism tomorrow with former Conservative Party Prime Minister Sir John Major expected to give a speech accusing the current PM of "corroding" trust in politics
Below, we look at five key things Mr Johnson said.
Covid
The PM said he would present the Government’s “Living With Covid” strategy when the Commons returns from its recess on February 21 and end the last domestic restrictions including the legal duty for cases to self-isolate “a full month early”.
Mr Johnson said he expects to end the remaining coronavirus restrictions a “full month early”.
Opening Prime Minister’s Questions, he said: “It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid.
“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions – including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive – a full month early.”
Fraud
Sir Keir Starmer pressed the PM on comments made by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng about fraud.
Sir Keir asked: “Was the Business Secretary right to say that fraud is not something that people experience in their day to day lives?”
Mr Johnson replied: “Of course, this Government and this country despises those who defraud people and that’s why we crackdown on fraudsters.
“And we have strengthened our anti-fraud taskforce, we are bringing forward an Economic Crime Bill but we also attach huge importance to tackling neighbourhood crime and crimes of violence, and I am very pleased those crimes are down 17%.”
Partygate
Labour's Fabian Hamilton refers to a photo just released that appears to show Boris Johnson at a Number 10 Christmas quiz that also features an empty bottle of bubbly.
The photo was apparently taken on 15 December 2020, during lockdown restrictions that prohibited social mixing between two or more people from different households.
Mr Hamilton said: “In the last few minutes a photo has emerged of the Prime Minister in Downing Street on December 15, 2020 surrounded by alcohol, food and people wearing tinsel.
“It looks a lot like one of the Christmas parties he told us never happened.”
He added: “Will the Prime Minister be referring this party to the police as it is not one of the ones currently being investigated?”
Mr Johnson said: “In what he has just said, I’m afraid he is completely in error.”
He later says that the police have already investigated the event.
Cost of living
Sir Keir said the PM's fraud minister quit because the government's failure to tackle fraud was so egregious he had to 'smash some crockery' to get people to take notice.
He said the PM has been distracted for weeks. Talking of scams, households are having to fork out an extra £19 billion on energy bills, he says.
"The government is insulting people's intelligence by pretending it's giving them a discount. But it's not, its a con," he says.
He said the government's financial support for people with energy bills is "a buy now pay later scheme, a dodgy loan not proper plan".
Mr Johnson hit back, saying his government is committed to doing the "right thing" for the country and taking the necessary "tough decisions".
The PM says "our plan for the country is working" and Labour "have no plan whatsoever".
Mr Johnson says the government's plan to tackle the rising cost of living is "faster, more efficient and more generous than anything they (Labour) have set up".
He says the government has lifted the living wage by record amounts and they are now setting out a 'fantastic' plan to help people with the cost of energy.
"It's £9.1 billion," he says this is a "huge sum".
Saville
Labour MP Ruth Jones criticises the "careless" and "disgraceful" words of the PM about Jimmy Savile, saying it caused Sir Keir to be mobbed near Parliament on Monday.
She says the PM should "reconsider his words, repent and resign".
Mr Johnson says the "thugs and yobs" are the ones who are culpable and not him.
