A Conservative MP who said Boris Johnson ought not to remain prime minister following his “partygate” fine says he plans to submit a letter of no confidence.
Nigel Mills, the MP for Amber Valley, said the fine represents a “line in the sand point”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme this afternoon he explained: “I was pretty angry when the story broke back in January that there had been parties in Number 10 and I said at that point that I would wait until the inquiry was resolved.
“The simple fact is yesterday that the police completed an investigation and fined the prime minister and he accepted that fine for breaking the lockdown rules that he introduced during the worst pandemic in 100 years, at a time when we were having thousands and thousands of deaths a week.
“I think this is the line in the sand point. There is no way out now. And there has never been a prime minister in history being fined in office for breaking the law like this and survive, let alone a law he had only just introduced and was on the TV every other night exhorting us all to obey.”
He then went on to confirm that he would be forwarding a letter of no confidence in the PM’s leadership to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, “very shortly”.
An official No 10 spokesperson confirmed yesterday that the chancellor and prime minister were fined over the latter’s 2020 birthday gathering, stating: “on 19th June 2020 at the Cabinet Room 10 Downing Street between 1400 and 1500 you participated in a gathering of two or more people indoors in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street”.
Mills told BBC Radio Derby this morning that: “In all conscience I don’t think a prime minister can survive or should survive breaking the rules he put in place and he was on the TV every few nights reminding us all that we should observe.
“We have to have higher standards than that of people at the top. He has been fined, I don’t think his position is tenable, in my view.”
The Times suggested yesterday that Sunak initially considered quitting, but decided to instead issue an apology.
Quizzed over whether the chancellor quitting would endanger Johnson, Mills argued: “I mean, yes, if the Chancellor, who is effectively the second most senior person in the government said senior people in government shouldn’t stay in government after they have been fined it would be a far worse situation for the Prime Minister even than this one.
“But I can’t see that happening. As far as I know he has issued a statement apologisng and saying he is getting on with the job. So theoretically yes, but I can’t see that is going to be the case.”
Over 17,700 people have been fined by the Metropolitan Police for breaching Covid laws during the pandemic, including 113 fines for holding a gathering of over 30 people.
