Starmer accuses Johnson of ‘losing the moral authority to lead’ in final PMQs

Labour’s leader Sir Keir Starmer launched an attack on Boris Johnson over his “weak leadership” in the final Prime Minister’s Questions of 2021.

Commenting on a large Conservative rebellion against posing further Christmas restrictions, Starmer said: “Can the prime minister not see that he has no hope of regaining the moral authority to deliver that difficult message if he cannot be straight with the British public about the rule-breaking in Downing Street last Christmas?”

The prime minister reiterated the cabinet secretary was looking into allegations of lockdown-breaking Christmas parties in 2020.

The prime minister suffered a heavy blow to his authority after a huge Tory rebellion in yesterday’s vote on Covid passports. 100+ Conservative MPs voted against the motion or abstained, including former prime minister Theresa May.

Earlier in the day, UKHSA chief executive Dr Jenny Harries told the transport committee the Omicron variant was doubling every 1.9 days.