Boris Johnson has been told he’s “toast” as prime minister as he repeatedly dodged questions over No 10 lockdown parties during Covid restrictions.
Under a grilling from MPs, Mr Johnson said he was unable to provide a “running commentary” when quizzed on the episode that led to calls for his resignation.
On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police revealed it would issue an initial batch of 20 fixed penalty notices as part of its investigation into 12 events held in Downing Street during severe Covid restrictions.
Police have not confirmed the size of the fines, which ranged between £100 and £10,000 in the period covered, depending the law in place at the time, the size of the gathering and the person’s role.
Despite dodging questions, the prime minister indicated he was not, so far, among the the individuals who have been issued with a fixed-penalty notice over breaches of the Covid laws.
Asked whether he had received a fixed penalty notice, the prime minister told MPs: “I’m sure you’d know if I were, but I think… I’ve been several times to the House to talk about this, explain, and apologise.
“But what I also said repeatedly is I won’t give a running commentary on an investigation that is underway — it would be wrong of me to deviate from that”.
The SNP MP Pete Wishart replied: “Prime minister we’re not expecting you to give a running commentary, quite obviously, but if you have… you’re pretty much toast aren’t you?”
Mr Wishart also asked the prime minister accept that “there has been criminality committed”, given Scotland Yard’s decision to issue 20 fixed-penalty notices.
Earlier Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, accepted the issuing of fines meant the law had been breached – a view Downing Street refused to endorse on Wednesday.
But Mr Johnson told Mr Wishart: “I have been, I hope, very frank with the House about where I think we have gone wrong and the things that I regret, that I apologise for.
“But there is an ongoing investigation… I am going to camp pretty firmly on my position. I won’t give a running commentary on an ongoing investigation.”
Asked by a second MP how he would respond to a petition signed by more than 130,000 who wanted to make lying in the Commons a criminal offence, Mr Johnson went on: “I’ve tried to be as clear as I can about my understanding of events.
“I’ve been back repeatedly to… before the Commons to explain, to apologise for the things that I think we’ve got wrong, and I’ve no doubt that I will be back again.”
