Boris Johnson has suggested that Partygate doesn’t matter to voters and said he will survive to fight the next election.
The under-fire Prime Minister repeatedly tried to dodge questions over his political future as he flew out to India on a long-delayed diplomatic trip.
Speaking to journalists on the plane, Mr Johnson insisted he would not quit - and declared he would “of course” fight the next election.
The PM’s travels take him away from Westminster as MPs prepare for a crunch vote on whether to investigate if he misled Parliament with his Partygate denials.
Asked if he was worried about missing the vote, he said: “I really don’t think, I couldn’t think of anything more to say, no matter how long I have to sit on the bench, I couldn’t add a word to the discussion that would add any value.
“I’m focused on jobs, growth and a fantastic partnership with India.”
Boris Johnson ’s allies were expected to mount a Commons bid to delay the vote on Thursday with an amendment pushing the clash back until after the police and Sue Gray have completed their Partygate probes.
Mr Johnson rejected calls to put himself forward for a confidence vote to see off his critics.
“The best thing to do for the people, for Parliament, is to get on and focus on the things we were elected to do,” he said.
“I think politics has taught me one thing which is that you’re better off talking and focussing on the things that matter and the things that make a real difference to the electorate, and not about politicians themselves.”
Asked if Partygate didn’t matter, the PM said: “You’re better off talking about things other than politicians themselves.”
The shameless PM made it clear he was planning to battle it out, despite the furore over his law-breaking.
Asked if there were any circumstances in which he’d consider resigning, he said: “I’m not going to speculate. I’m going to try and focus on the job in a hand. Not a lot would spring to mind at the moment.”
He added: “I don’t propose to go.”
Asked if he would fight the next election, he said: "Of course, yes."
The PM also hinted that the UK could make a visa offer as part of a future free trade agreement with Delhi.
Speaking to reporters as he jetted out to India, he said there was a “massive shortage” of skilled workers in fields like IT and programming in the UK.
"We are aiming for an FTA (free trade agreement) by the end of the year,” he said.
Asked if immigration could be part of the agreement, he said: "On immigration I've always been in favour of having people coming to this country.
"We have a massive shortage in the UK, not least in experts in IT and programmers. We're short to the tune of hundreds of thousands in our economy.
"We need to have a professional approach but it has to be controlled."
