Jacob Rees-Mogg has hinted at police bias in fining Boris Johnson for a No 10 party while Keir Starmer and Nicola Sturgeon have escaped after Covid rules incidents.
The Cabinet Office minister hit out at forces that “didn’t mind” what the Labour leader and Scotland’s First Minister had done, while the prime minister suffered the blow of a punishment.
Hailing Mr Johnson as “a great man”, his key ally laid bare the growing Conservative frustration that their political opponents are not also being investigated for alleged rule breaches.
Sir Keir was filmed holding a bottle of beer in an MP’s constituency office, during election campaigning last year, but Durham Police decided there was no likely offence to investigate.
He has strongly rejected any comparison with the parties held in Downing Street, which have left Mr Johnson clinging to his job and have shattered his public support.
Ms Sturgeon was warned by police after failing to wear a mask in a barber shop this month, but called it a momentary lapse and said she quickly realised she needed to put on a face covering.
Mr Rees-Mogg questioned police decision-making in an interview with the GB News channel, in which he insisted public faith in Mr Johnson remained strong.
“You had Keir Starmer drinking a beer and Nicola Sturgeon not wearing a mask when she thought everyone else should. The police didn’t mind about either of those, but the prime minister has paid his fine,” he said.
The complaint comes despite the Metropolitan Police suffering criticism for long refusing to investigate Partygate – until evidence was passed by Sue Gray’s stalled Cabinet Office investigation.
At the very least it will be seen as an attempt to distract from the deepening crisis facing the prime minister after he failed to block a Commons inquiry into whether he lied to MPs.
Top Conservatives are predicting that a post-local elections challenge to Mr Johnson’s leadership is now inevitable, as MPs contemplate the controversy enduring.
One senior Tory, Steve Baker, has warned his party will “reap the whirlwind” of public anger over the parties at the ballot box on 5 May.
Meanwhile, a legal expert has predicted that Mr Johnson will escape a fine for the “bring your own booze” party he attended in the No 10 garden in June 2020.
The Tory clash with the police comes after the prime minister engaged in a damaging row with the archbishop of Canterbury, who condemned the “rendition to Rwanda” plan for asylum seekers.
Both Mr Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel have also attacked the BBC for its coverage of the controversy.
