Boris Johnson claims Partygate scandal matters little to voters

Prime minister thought to have been at six of 12 events under investigation by Scotland Yard

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the House of Commons in London on April 20. UK Parliament / AP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that the Partygate scandal matters little to voters and vowed to fight the next election no matter how many times he is fined for breaching coronavirus lockdown laws.

Mr Johnson will be on a trip to India when a motion calling for a House of Commons investigation into whether he lied to Parliament takes place on Thursday.

The government has tabled an amendment to delay the vote until the Metropolitan Police’s inquiry into lockdown parties in Downing Street and Whitehall has concluded, and the report by senior civil servant Sue Gray report has been published.

This will allow MPs “to have all the facts at their disposal” when they make a decision, it said.

It is understood that all Conservative MPs will be made to support the amendment.

Tory politicians were facing pressure to back the opposition bid for a Commons privileges committee investigation after Mr Johnson was fined by police over a birthday party during lockdown in 2020.

He tried to avoid discussing Partygate on the flight to Gujarat, including when asked to give a direct message to Tory MPs who are putting their reputations on the line with the vote.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologises to MPs at the House of Commons in London, having been fined after a police probe for attending a party during coronavirus lockdowns imposed by his own government. AFP

The prime minister was no more than 30 seconds into his speech when the first shout of 'resign' was heard from the opposition benches, followed by 'you’re an embarrassment' and 'just go'. Reuters

'I take this opportunity on the first available sitting day to repeat my wholehearted apology to the House,' he said, admitting that 'people had a right to expect better of their prime minister'. AFP

Members of the media gather on Downing Street after police in London issued 50 fines in relation to parties and gatherings held at government buildings during Covid lockdowns. Getty Images

The prime minister, pictured with a birthday cake baked for him by school staff at Bovingdon Primary Academy in Hemel Hempstead, said it ‘didn't occur’ to him that a gathering on June 19, 2020 to mark his 56th birthday broke coronavirus rules. AFP

Chancellor Rishi Sunak (L) was also fined for attending lockdown parties held in and around Downing Street. AFP

Mr Johnson is the first sitting prime minister to be censured for breaking the law, sparking calls from all sides of Parliament, including some in his own party, to step down. Reuters

A lone protester demonstrates outside No 10 Downing Street in London. EPA

Before the war broke out in Ukraine, Mr Johnson appeared vulnerable to the partygate controversy. He has been praised for his response to the conflict, which may offer him some protection from critics, and he visited Kyiv last weekend in what he called a show of support for the country. AFP

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie applaud for key health workers outside No 10 Downing Street in May 2020. Getty Images

Boris Johnson makes a statement in the House of Commons in January, on Sue Gray's report regarding the alleged Downing Street parties during lockdown. Reuters

A journalist highlights sections of the report by civil servant Sue Gray into parties held at Downing Street. AFP

Mr Johnson is understood to have been present at six of at least 12 events being investigated. One occurred on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, at which Queen Elizabeth II had to grieve away from other mourners because of social distancing protocols. Getty Images

Asked if he would fight the next general election, Mr Johnson replied: “Of course.”

Pressed on whether there were no circumstances under which he would consider resigning, he said: “Not a lot that spring to mind at the moment.

“But if you want to sketch some out I’m sure you could entertain your viewers with some imaginary circumstances in which I might have to resign, but I don’t propose to go into them. I can’t think of them right now.”

Mr Johnson’s aides are braced for him to receive more fines, having already been handed one fixed-penalty notice for the gathering for his 56th birthday.

He is thought to have been at six of the 12 events under investigation by Scotland Yard.

“Politics has taught me one thing, which is you’re better off talking and focusing on the things that matter, the things that make a real difference to the electorate, and not about politicians themselves,” Mr Johnson said.

Asked if that meant Partygate did not matter to the public, he said: “You’re better off talking about things other than politicians themselves, is my view.”

Mr Johnson apologised during a bruising Commons debate on Wednesday for falling foul of Covid laws.

When MPs vote on Thursday, Conservatives will be urged to back the government’s amendment to delay making a decision on whether to launch an inquiry until all other investigations finish.

Mr Johnson sought to justify the position, which comes after Tory MP Craig Whittaker called for him to refer himself to an investigation to end the saga.

“I think the best thing is if the investigation is concluded," he said. "There’s a police investigation that has not concluded. We have to wait for that and then for Sue Gray to have her final say.

“I think we need to wait and see where it gets."