Boris Johnson has promised to address parliament next week about his fine for breaching Covid laws and “set the record straight in any way that I can” on his previous claims that no rules were broken.
Answering questions following a speech on immigration in Kent, Mr Johnson said that Rishi Sunak – who also faced a £50 fine for attending the prime minister’s lockdown-breaching birthday party in 2020 – was safe in his position as chancellor.
He repeatedly dodged demands to say whether he accepted that he had misled parliament by telling the House of Commons last December that “I have been repeatedly assured … that there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken.”
But he told reporters: “You are going to have to wait until I come to parliament, when of course I will set the record straight in any way that I can”.
Mr Johnson’s promise came as a third Tory MP – Penrith’s Neil Hudson – broke ranks in the wake of the Partygate fines to say the PM should resign, following similar calls from Nigel Mills and Craig Whittaker.
And former minister Karen Bradley said that she would have quit if found guilty of breaking laws she had passed, while Commons defence committee chair Tobias Ellwood said Johnson should submit himself to a vote of no confidence if Tories perform badly in next month’s local elections.
Mr Johnson repeatedly brushed off questions about his Partygate fixed penalty notice, referring reporters back to the public apology which he issued on Tuesday.
But asked if he could assure the chancellor that he has “got that job for as long as he wants it”, he replied simply: “Yes.”
