The first Conservative MP to say the prime minister cannot survive the “partygate” scandal has spoken out.

An official spokesperson confirmed yesterday that the pair were fined over the PM’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”.

Nigel Mills, MP for Amber Valley, 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.