Boris Johnson is reportedly looking for ways to appease possible Conservative rebels as the partygate affair threatens to reignite over new rule-breaking claims. Allegations have surfaced that senior civil servant Sue Gray was told about a potential gathering in the Downing Street flat on the evening of the Prime Minister’s 56th birthday during her inquiry into No 10 and Whitehall Covid lockdown parties but opted not to investigate.
The Cabinet Office said it seriously disputes the version of events as detailed in The Sunday Times but Labour is demanding answers over whether a rule breach occurred. It comes as the i newspaper said the Prime Minister this year intends to repeal “dozens” of European Union regulations which remain in UK legislation as he attempts to convince wavering MPs he is still the right person to lead the country following the so-called partygate affair.
The move is understood to be part of an ongoing review of EU retained law being co-ordinated by minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, which will feed into the Brexit Freedoms Bill. A separate announcement about a consultation on bringing imperial weights and measures back into more popular use is expected to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, in what Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis described as a “light-hearted” post-Brexit policy that he argued the public and traders are keen on.
