Defiant Boris Johnson & Rishi Sunak pay Partygate fines & apologise for ‘falling short’ – but reject demands to quit

BORIS Johnson and Rishi Sunak tonight revealed they have paid fines for attending a lockdown-busting birthday bash - and the PM apologised he "fell short" on his own Covid rules.

In a sheepish statement the PM rejected demands to quit but said: "I accept in all sincerity that people have the right to expect better."

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Mr Sunak released his own statement, saying: "I deeply regret the frustration and anger caused and I am sorry.

"Like the prime minister, I am focused on delivering for the British people at this challenging time."

Downing Street was rocked today after Met cops dished out fixed penalty notices to Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie and Mr Sunak.

They all relate to a 56th birthday bash for the PM back in June 2020, which all three attended.

The trio have each paid their fines - although the Chancellor is yet to speak out and is understood to be holed up in his Yorkshire mansion.

Speaking from his Chequers country bolthole tonight, Mr Johnson played down the partying and said he only attended the event briefly after a ram-packed day of eight meetings.

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He said: "There was a brief gathering in the Cabinet Room shortly after 2pm lasting for less than 10 minutes, during which people I work with kindly passed on their good wishes.

"And I have to say in all frankness at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules."

Yet the stony-faced PM offered a "full apology" to Brits furious the premier was not following the draconian rules he inflicted.

Mr Johnson said: "I understand the anger that many will feel that I myself fell short when it came to observing the very rules which the government I lead had introduced to protect the public.

"And I accept in all sincerity, that people have the right to expect better."

PM NOT QUITTING

Dismissing calls for him to quit, he said the ordeal strengthened his resolve to "deliver on the priorities of the British people".

A spokesperson for Carrie separately confirmed that she has paid her fine and "accepts the Met Police’s findings and apologises unreservedly."

The bombshell revelation will provide a major fresh headache for the PM and reignite the Partygate row.

It will also heap further pressure on the Chancellor, who is already under-fire over the row about his wife's tax status.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer immediately called the two men to quit.

He said: "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public.

"They must both resign. The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better."

Mr Johnson had previously told MPs "no rules were broken" in Downing Street over parties, and misleading Parliament is a resignation offence.

Tonight he said he "spoke in completely good faith" because he believed he had not broken any rules.,

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CABINET SUPPORT

After an initial spell of deafening silence, Boris' loyalists came out in support of the PM.

Cabinet ally Nadine Dorries played down the birthday bash as a "brief gathering in the Cabinet Room and said the "PM is at his best when delivering on the priorities of the British people which he will continue to do."

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke piled in: "The PM and Chancellor have my full support.

"Their efforts during the pandemic have ensured the UK is now free of restrictions and avoided economic catastrophe. I for one am grateful to them for everything they have done for our country."

Sir Jonathan Jones QC, a former Government top lawyer, said receiving a fixed penalty notice "isn’t a criminal conviction".

He added: "Nor is paying the penalty. That means you’ve chosen to pay rather than risk a criminal prosecution."

Downing St fessed up hours after Scotland Yard confirmed it has handed out more than 30 new fines.

The Met Police said the number of fixed penalty notices issued has risen from 20 to more than 50.

It comes with officers continuing their investigation into a dozen gatherings held during the two Covid lockdowns.

Last month police dished out the first 20 fines to staff who attended an event in the Cabinet Office on June 18, 2020.

They were reportedly for a value of £50 - rather than the maximum of £200 - and were sent out to recipients via email.

Boris Johnson is said to have been at around half of the events whilst the Chancellor attended one, which was a birthday party for the PM.

On that occasion, also in June 2020, the premier is said to have been thrown a surprise bash featuring more than 30 staff and wife Carrie.

There was reportedly a cake and those gathered sung Happy Birthday. Pictures also showed Boris holding a can of beer.

No 10 insisted at the time that the impromptu gathering lasted 10 minutes and that "it was not a party".

And the PM later told allies there had not been a Union Jack cake at the get together as rumoured.

In the FPNs issued the Met said the event took place "between 1400 and 1500 [2pm and 2pm] in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street".

FRESH FINES

Announcing the fresh round of fines today, Scotland Yard said: "The investigation into allegations of breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street continues to progress.

"We have made over 50 referrals for fixed penalty notices to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations who, following the referral, issue the FPNs to the individual.

"We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed.

"This includes continuing to assess significant amounts of investigative material from which further referrals may be made to ACRO."

The PM had promised to publicly reveal if he receives a fine, though he has repeatedly insisted he hasn't broken the law.

In multiple interviews Boris has insisted he was unaware of any rule breaking and that Covid guidelines were followed at all times.

No 10 has said it will disclose whether Simon Case, the head of the civil service, is handed a penalty in the future.

But it has insisted the identities of other recipients such as members of Downing St staff will not be released.

Cops working on the investigation, codenamed Operation Hillman, have been trawling through hundreds of documents and photos.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign.

Sir Keir Starmer

They're looking into allegations of repeated Covid rule flouting within Downing St whilst the country was in lockdown.

No10 aides and civil servants are accused of downing booze, tucking into cheese and playing party games in violation of the rules.

Although the war in Ukraine has eclipsed domestic politics, today's development will drag Partygate back into the public spotlight.

The scandal plunged Boris' premiership into crisis and sparked frenzied speculation he could face a leadership challenge.

He responded by pledging a major shake up of how No 10 works, including overhauling his top team.

The PM has been thought safe given his global leadership in the fightback against Russia and cooling temperatures amongst Tory MPs.

But questions about his leadership will now arise once more given the bombshell move by Met detectives to slap him with a fine.

And this afternoon opposition parties pounced on the latest revelations.

Sir Keir said the new fines provided evidence of "widespread criminality" in Downing St under the PM's watch.

He said: "He claimed to the country that all the rules were being obeyed in Downing Street, that there had been no parties.

"This not only blows his defence out of the water, but calls into question his honesty and his integrity."

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the "shocking scale of the criminality" in No shows the PM "cannot be trusted".

He fumed: "No other leader in any other organisation would be allowed to continue after law-breaking on this scale.

"If Boris Johnson won't resign, Conservative MPs must show him the door."

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon added: "Boris Johnson must resign. He broke the law and repeatedly lied to Parliament about it.

"The basic values of integrity and decency - essential to the proper working of any parliamentary democracy - demand that he go.

"And he should take his out of touch Chancellor with him."

Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford also called on the pair to quit.

The revelations will also cause the PM problems with his own backbenchers, although many feel he can now ride out the scandal.

Veteran Tory MP Sir Charles Walker said he was "pretty speechless" at the news.

He added: "I just know a lot of my constituents suffered hugely during lockdown and continue to suffer. I feel for them really.”

But fellow backbencher Roger Gale, who previously submitted a no confidence letter over Partygate, said now isn't the time to oust him.

He insisted unseating the PM would "destabilise the coalition against Putin" and play into Russia's hands.

"So any reaction to this is going to have to wait until we have dealt with the main crisis, which is Ukraine and the Donbas" he added.

Scottish Tories leader Douglas Ross, another arch-critic of the PM who also previously said the PM should go, gave the same argument.

He said: "It would destabilise the UK Government when we need to be united in the face of Russian aggression and the murdering of innocent Ukrainians."

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Conservative MP Michael Fabricant, who is a close ally of Boris, insisted the PM hadn't misled parliament by denying there were any parties.

He said: "When the Prime Minister told the House he didn’t think I was breaking any law, I don’t think he did think he was breaking any law."

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