Johnson may believe he’s safe but threat from Partygate is not over

Johnson must still survive the scrutiny of Sue Gray, the senior civil servant whose full report into the party culture in locked-down Downing Street is expected next week. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock

The prime minister had been telling colleagues for weeks that he believed he would receive no further fines for breaching Covid rules, but many saw it as little more than typical Johnsonian bluster.

When it emerged on Thursday that he was correct – despite attending several of the dozen booze-fuelled gatherings held on his watch – one exasperated backbencher said simply: “No words.”