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Boris Johnson being fined for breaking the Covid-19 rules he set is similar to former ministers receiving parking and speeding fines while in office, a British cabinet minister has appeared to suggest.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said other ministers, including former Labour prime minister Tony Blair, had received fixed penalty notices (FPN) and remained in office.
It comes as the Conservative prime minister prepares, according to the Daily Telegraph, to make a “full-throated apology” to MPs after paying a fine issued by police for attending a birthday bash in breach of Covid restrictions.
Mr Johnson, along with his wife Carrie Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak, was fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending a birthday party thrown in his honour in the cabinet room in June 2020, while Covid-19 restrictions on such gatherings were in place.
Mr Lewis told Sky News the prime minister was not the first Number 10 incumbent to receive a penalty for a legal infringement.
“I think we do see consistently, whether it is through parking fines or speeding fines, ministers of both parties over the years have been in that position,” said former Conservative Party chairman Mr Lewis.
“We’ve had prime ministers in the past who have received penalty notices, from what I can see, and also frontbench ministers.
“I saw there was a parking notice that Tony Blair had once.”
He added: “You’ve asked me, can someone who sets the laws and the rules, can they also be someone who breaks the rules?
“That clearly has happened with a number of ministers over the years.”
Questioned about his choice of response on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Lewis replied: “I’m not in any way trying to equate a speeding ticket with the sacrifices people have made through Covid.”
‘Massive difference’
Senior opposition MPs said there was a “massive difference” between a Covid FPN and a speeding ticket.
Labour leader Keir Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions, told ITV’s Lorraine programme: “I have never had anybody break down in front of me because they couldn’t drive at 35 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone; I have had no end of people in tears – in real bits – about complying with rules that really, really hurt them.”
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the Northern Ireland Secretary’s response was an “insult to bereaved families and all those who made huge sacrifices while Johnson partied”.
The prime minister is due to address the House of Commons on Tuesday as he attempts to convince his critics there are bigger issues to focus on than the so-called Partygate saga.
It is thought he will apologise for the rule-breaching but emphasise the need to deal with the crisis in Ukraine and migration issues.
Mr Johnson will face pressure to address criticisms that he misled parliament – an offence traditionally seen as a resigning matter for ministers – in previous statements about allegations of rule-breaking in Number 10, during which he argued Covid guidance had been followed at all times.
Labour shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry confirmed “there are ongoing discussions” between the opposition parties and speaker Lindsay Hoyle amid suggestions a censure motion is being pushed for over claims the prime minister was not entirely upfront with MPs on this issue.
Asked whether Mr Johnson accepted that he broke the rules, Mr Lewis replied: “In the sense that he has paid a fine that the police have decided to issue because the rules were broken.
“What he said to parliament he believed to be true at the time.”
Party divided
Conservatives are divided over whether Mr Johnson should face a confidence vote on his future following his receipt of an FPN.
Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood said the Ukraine war should not be used as a “fig leaf” to distract from the issue.
Mr Ellwood told BBC Breakfast there were “many MPs” who were “very concerned by where we’re going” and argued that Mr Johnson should call a confidence vote.
“We have to defend this at the next general election,” he said.
“We’ve got some more fixed penalty notices likely to come forward, [senior civil servant] Sue Gray’s report [on Partygate allegations] to conclude, and, of course, those important local elections on May 5th.
“If I was the prime minister, I would show leadership here . . . and say that ‘these are difficult times, I will give you the opportunity to support me through an actual vote of confidence’.”
But Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbench MPs, said it was “certainly not in the country’s interests to think about replacing the prime minister”, given the “blood war” in Ukraine and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.– PA