In a clash between Boris Johnson and his deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, Downing Street has refused to endorse the justice secretary’s admission that laws were broken in the Partygate scandal.
Since the announcement on Tuesday of 20 fines for lockdown breaches at Downing Street and Whitehall, No 10 has refused to accept that the Metropolitan Police move meant the law had been broken by members of Mr Johnson’s administration, and that the prime minister himself misled parliament.
But Mr Raab this morning broke with the official line, telling a TV interview that the issue of fixed penalty notices “inevitably” meant the law had been breached.
The cabinet minister also accepted that Mr Johnson may have said things “that turned out not to be true” when he assured MPs that no rules were broken in No 10,.
But he insisted that there was no “intention to mislead”, as the PM had been “updating parliament to the best of his knowledge and understanding” before suggesting he may have said things that “turned out not to be true”.
Asked on Sky News if the issuing of a fixed penalty notice meant the law had been broken, Mr Raab said: “Yes, inevitably fixed penalty notices (are issued to) those that have breached the regulations.”
Challenged repeatedly over Mr Raab’s comments, Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson refused to say whether the PM agreed with his justice secretary’s interpretation of the police action.
“The prime minister has said he respects the position of the Met,” said the spokesperson. “This investigation is ongoing and, as I said yesterday, you will hear more from him at its conclusion.”
The spokesperson said that No 10’s position had not changed since Tuesday, when he said that it was “for the Met rather than the prime minister” to make a judgement on whether the law had been broken.
“It simply would not be right for me to give the Prime Minister’s view in the midst of an ongoing Met Police investigation,” he said.
His comment sparked speculation in Westminster over whether Mr Johnson is wary that public acceptance now that a FPN signifies law-breaking may backfire on him if he is himself later issued with a fine.
Earlier, the prime minister faced calls of “resign” as he deflected questions over Partygate in the House of Commons.
Sir Keir Starmer told Prime Minister’s Questions that the Met’s decision to issue fines indicated there was “widespread criminality” in Mr Johnson’s Downing Street.
“The ministerial code says that ministers who knowingly mislead the House should resign,” said the Labour leader. “Why’s he still here?”
Mr Johnson replied: “Of course the Met, the investigators, must get on with their job but in meantime we’re going to get on with our job.”
Starmer retorted that the PM was either “trashing the ministerial code or he’s claiming he was repeatedly lied to by his own advisers, that he didn’t know what was going on in his own house and his own office”.
Accusing Mr Johnson of believing he can “pass off criminality in his office and ask others to follow the law”, Sir Keir asked: “When is he going to stop taking the British public for fools?”
A Labour spokesperson later said that it was “totally untenable” for Downing Street to “refuse to acknowledge what is a statement of fact and law – and that is that the issuing of 20 fixed penalty notices proves that there has been criminality in Boris Johnson’s Downing Street”.
Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain, a former police officer, said: “It is completely absurd that Boris Johnson still won’t accept that the lockdown parties in Downing Street broke the law.
“This stubborn denial flies in the face of the evidence. It shows that Johnson hasn’t learnt any lessons from this scandal and is still taking the British people for fools.
“As a former police officer I know what people do to get out of answering questions.These excuses wouldn’t cut it then and they won’t cut it now with the public.”
