Marvin Rees has said that Boris Johnson's apology "won't be enough", but he may last in office "until we are all so tired of talking about it that we give up".
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? this evening, the Labour Mayor of Bristol did not directly call for Boris Johnson to resign but said that the public's "ability and willingness" to believe that politicians have their best interests at heart would suffer if the prime minister stays in office.
Mr Rees also criticised the length of time being taken to investigate the parties that took place in Downing Street while the country was under Covid restrictions will undermine the public's relationship with politicians.
Marvin Rees appeared on the BBC Radio 4 panel show, hosted by Chris Mason, that was broadcast live from Gloucestershire alongside Michelle Donelan, the Conservative MP for Chippenham and the Universities Minister, Alice Thompson, a journalist for The Times, and Dale Vince, the owner of Ecotricity.
The first question of the evening from a member of the public was: "In March 2021, an 82-year-old lady in Cheltenham was given a Covid breach warning after having a socially-distanced cup of tea in the garden of her sheltered accommodation. What should the prime minister be saying to her?"
The question was greeted by a round of applause by the audience, and all panellists responded to the question. Michelle Donelan MP defended Boris Johnson saying that she was "angry" about what went on in Downing Street, but pointed to other government achievements such as the growing economy and the jobs available.
However, Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees spoke about the damage that Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party is doing by keeping him in power after all of these revelations.
Mr Rees said: "I think he should say sorry, but I don't think that's enough and won't be. I think what we're dealing with is a situation that's actually bigger than politics as we would traditionally talk about it.
"The political question is about Boris Johnson staying in the office of Prime Minister, and I think it feels like a contest of attrition at the moment, what with the inquiry, the investigation, hanging around so long that in the end, people get tired of it and say 'okay, you can stay there, we're tired of talking about this and talking negatively,' and that's our political system, and he may well win that. He may well last it out until we are all so tired of talking about it that we give up.
"But what concerns me and why I say this is bigger than politics is there's something bigger at play here, and that is the nature of leadership in this country, and the nature of the relationship between the population and its political leadership.
"If he does stay in power, I think the price we pay for that attritional contest is another blow, another wound to the foundation of the nature of the relationship between people and our political leadership and people's ability and willingness to believe that the political leadership have the population's interests as priority number one in their list."
Click here if you cannot see the survey
Mr Rees' answer was greeted by a loud round of applause from the live audience attending in Gloucestershire, signalling that they agree with his assessment of the damage being done by the Conservative Party and Boris Johnson.
The nation is still awaiting the outcome of Sue Gray's investigation into the numerous events that took place in Downing Street and Whitehall while the nation was under strict Covid-19 restrictions.
The Met Police announced on Tuesday that it was opening its own investigation into the allegations and tonight threw the content of Sue Gray's report into doubt by asking her not to publish details of events that they are investigating.
Reports tonight suggest that Boris Johnson could receive the report tonight or over the weekend, with a redacted version set to be published when Parliament returns next week.
Want our best stories with fewer ads and alerts when the biggest news stories drop? Download our app on iPhone or Android
