A top Tory has said Boris Johnson did not mislead Parliament over Partygate as he was given the "wrong information" and blamed the scandal on the Government's "inhuman" Covid rules.
Jacob Rees-Mogg refused to apologise for branding the row over law-breaking Downing Street parties as "fluff" and "fundamentally trivial" and said the scandal was "not the most important issue in the world" given the war in Ukraine.
In a clash with an angry caller on LBC, he claimed the Prime Minister - who is being investigated by police over Partygate - had not misled Parliament when he told MPs no rules had been broken.
Instead, Mr Rees-Mogg tried to shift blame for the scandal onto the "inhuman" Covid rules, which his own Government created.
It comes after it emerged that police have fined officials who went to a karaoke bash in the Cabinet Office on 18 June 2020, including former Whitehall ethics chief Helen MacNamara.
Fixed penalty notices have also reportedly been handed to staff who were at two boozy leaving drinks in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral last year.
Scotland Yard is investigating 12 parties in Downing Street and Whitehall during the pandemic, including six Mr Johnson is believed to have attended.
No 10 and Mr Johnson have so far refused to publicly accept laws were broken - despite police issuing fines for Covid law-breaking.
Mr Rees-Mogg, a close ally of the PM, was pressed on his dismissal of the row during a radio phone-in.
Angry caller Chris asked him: "Given the immense sacrifices made by millions during Covid, will you apologise, Jacob, for describing the Partygate scandal as 'fluff'?"
But he replied: "No, I am not going to do that. What I am going to do is try to contextualise."
He pointed to the atrocities being committed in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis, saying: "It's not the most important issue in the world."
But he accepted people "should obey the law".
The Brexit Opportunities Minister rejected claims Mr Johnson had misled Parliament when he claimed the rules had been followed at all times.
Mr Johnson has since admitted to briefly attending a BYOB garden party in Downing Street in May 2020 - but claimed he thought it was a work event.
Mr Rees-Mogg said the PM had made no deliberate attempt to mislead Parliament.
"The Prime Minister said that he was told the rules were followed, but that turns out not to be correct and we know that fines have now been issued, but the Prime Minister can only work on the information he is given," he said.
But the caller said his claims were "ridiculously sycophantic" and accused the minister of "insulting the intelligence of the British people".
Mr Rees-Mogg accepted some people had not obeyed the rules in No10 but said it was not as significant as events in Ukraine or the cost of living crisis.
He said people were "understandably cross" but double down on his previous stance.
"I think those words in the context of what's going on in Ukraine are completely reasonable," the Brexit Opportunities Minister said.
"I don't think the issue of what may or may not have happened in Downing Street and what we are now finding out is fundamental.
"What I think is fundamental is that we look in the ( Covid-19 ) inquiry at how the rules were devised and the effect that they had, because I think some of those rules were inhuman."
Downing Street has said it will confirm if Boris Johnson or civil service chief Simon Case are given fines by the Metropolitan Police.
Mr Johnson has not yet been informed if he will receive a fixed penalty notice.
Asked about Mr Rees-Mogg's claim restrictions were "inhuman", the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "I think at all times the Government took action to save both lives and livelihoods and that was always a balanced judgment that sought to be informed by the latest evidence we had.
"We have established an inquiry to take a proper view and learn lessons about what happened and there will be more to say then. But certainly at all times the Government sought to act in the best interests of the United Kingdom."
The spokesman again declined to say whether Mr Johnson believes laws were broken over Partygate.
Welsh Secretary Simon Hart dismissed calls that the PM should resign if he was issued with a penalty.
"I have 65,000 constituents in west Wales, where I represent, and they are not shy in coming forward and expressing a view about this and a number of other subjects," he told Sky News.
"And throughout all of this saga of the Downing Street parties they have said one thing very clearly, and in a vast majority they say they want contrition and they want an apology, but they don't want a resignation."
Mr Hart said "the world has moved on a considerable distance" and he told TalkRadio: "Looking at how this interview started and what we're seeing in Ukraine, that helps contextualise all of this in my head.
"And I think we're now dealing with something of such seriousness and such horror that what went on maybe two years ago clearly needs to be dealt with, and should be - it's a source of irritation for a lot of people still - but I'm glad that this thing is now coming to a conclusion."
