'Lockdown regulations were broken': ANOTHER Cabinet minister defies Boris Johnson's stonewalling by admitting that Partygate police issuing 20 fines means the law was flouted
- Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to admit lockdown laws breached in Whitehall
- Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said police fines meant that they were
- Deputy PM Dominic Raab has also conceded that the regulations were broken
Boris Johnson's extraordinary stonewalling over Partygate was defied by another Cabinet minister today.
Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan admitted that police issuing a first batch of 20 fines meant lockdown laws had been broken.
The comments, in a round of interviews this morning, echoed the views voiced by Dominic Raab but came despite the PM stubbornly refusing to concede the point yesterday.
In a toe-curling appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee, the PM repeatedly blanked questions about whether the rules had been breached.
Under fire from senior MPs, he insisted: 'I been very clear I won't give a running commentary on an ongoing investigation.'
Mr Johnson - who is waiting to find out whether he personally will get a fixed penalty notice - also suggested that he will not speak about the issue until after a report by top civil servant Sue Gray is published, rather than when the police conclude their probe.
Downing Street stuck doggedly to the same stance when pressed by journalists today, despite acknowledging the 'facts are not in dispute'.
'We have been clear that mistakes were made, the Prime Minister believes it is right to respond once the full facts are known, once the investigation has concluded.'
Asked why Ms Trevelyan and Mr Raab were prepared to say the law was broken but the PM was not, the spokesman said: 'He said he would not be giving a running commentary on the investigation. He will respond once the full facts are known and once the investigation has concluded.
'As Anne-Marie Trevelyan has said, the facts are not in dispute and the Prime Minister has said that mistakes have been made.
'But beyond that I'm not going to be commenting and the Prime Minister will not be until the investigation is concluded.'
Ms Trevelyan told Sky News: 'I think if you or I get a fine, we hopefully pay it and move on from there. And I hope, and I assume, that those who have been fined by the police will pay their fines and that will be the punishment that they have accepted.'
Pressed on whether 20 fines being issued meant there were 20 instances the law being broken, she said: 'Well, that's right. They've broken the regulations that were set in the Covid Act, and police deem that that was what they did and therefore they've been fined accordingly.'
Asked why the PM would not say this, she said: 'Because, as I say, he wants to wait until the whole process of the police review has been done.'
In a toe-curling appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee yesterday (left), the PM repeatedly blanked questions about whether the rules had been breached. But Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan (right) admitted today that police issuing a first batch of 20 fines meant lockdown laws had been broken
Deputy PM Dominic Raab has said that the police decision on Partygate does mean there were breaches in Whitehall
Scotland Yard announced on Tuesday that is issuing the first tranche of fixed penalty notices to people who attended 'Partygate' events.
But the force warned that its investigation still has some distance to run, saying there is a 'significant' amount of material yet to be assessed.
Mr Johnson was not among the initial group fined, and police say individuals will not be named - as well as ruling out disclosing which events they attended.
The government has promised to reveal if the PM or Cabinet Secretary Simon Case are issued with penalties.
Keir Starmer said today that the public should be told if Carrie Johnson is issued a fine .
Speaking to broadcasters in Bury, the Labour Party leader said: 'If Carrie Johnson gets a fixed penalty notice, then of course it should be made public.
'My focus is on the Prime Minister because he is the one who sets the culture, he is the one who oversaw this criminality at his home and his office, he is the one that came to Parliament and said all rules were complied with, which is clearly not the case.
'So I do think Carrie Johnson should be named if she gets a penalty notice, but my focus is laser-like on the Prime Minister.'
The first FPNs are thought to be 'clear-cut' cases where people are not denying allegations.
The PM is said to have been at six of the 12 events under investigation and has received a legal questionnaire - equivalent to being interviewed under caution - but he has rejected claims he broke rules.
During the Liaison Committee hearing yesterday, SNP MP Pete Wishart asked Mr Johnson to accept that 'there has been criminality committed'.
He replied: 'I have been, I hope, very frank with the House about where I think we have gone wrong and the things that I regret, that I apologise for.
'But there is an ongoing investigation... I am going to camp pretty firmly on my position.'
Making clear he had not yet received a fine, Mr Johnson said: 'I have been several times to the House to talk about this and to explain and to apologise and to set out the things that we are doing to change the way things run in No 10.
'But what I also said repeatedly... I won't give a running commentary on an investigation that is under way.'
He said he understood that people would be 'naturally curious' about the situation but 'it would be wrong of me to deviate from that'.
Mr Johnson added: 'I think you are going to have to hold your horses and wait until the conclusion of the investigation, when there will be a lot more clarity.'
Keir Starmer goaded Mr Johnson at PMQs over why he had not resigned.
The Labour leader launched a series of barbs at Mr Johnson over fines being issued as they faced off at a rowdy PMQs.
Pointing out that Mr Johnson had assured the House that regulations had not been breached in Downing Street, Sir Keir said: 'Why is he still here?'
However, the premier shot back by branding Sir Keir a 'human weathervane', saying he had recently dropped resignation calls because of the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
'The investigators must go on with their jobs but in the meantime we are going to get on with our job,' Mr Johnson said.
The politicians also traded blows on the cost-of-living crisis during the bad-tempered session, with Sir Keir mocking the government's claims to be cutting taxes and the PM blaming Labour for failing to invest in nuclear power.
At PMQs, Sir Keir said: 'Talking of parties, Prime Minister, he told the House no rules were broken in Downing Street during lockdown. The police have now concluded there was widespread criminality.
'The ministerial code says that ministers who knowingly mislead the House should resign. Why's he still here?'
Mr Johnson replied: 'Hang on a minute, we do at least expect some consistency from this human weathervane - it was only a week or so ago he was saying that I shouldn't resign. What is his position?
'Of course the Met, the investigators must get on with their job but in meantime we're going to get on with our job.'
Sir Keir said: 'There are only two possible explanations – either he's trashing the ministerial code or he's claiming he was repeatedly lied to by his own advisers, that he didn't know what was going on in his own house and his own office. Come off it.
'He really does think it's one rule for him and another rule for everyone else, that he can pass off criminality in his office and ask others to follow the law.
'That he can keep raising taxes and call himself a tax-cutter. That he can hike tax during a cost of living crisis and get credit for giving a bit back just before an election.
'When is he going to stop taking the British public for fools?'
Mr Johnson's stance contrasted sharply with deputy PM Dominic Raab conceding in a round of interviews this morning that the police decision meant lockdown laws had been broken in Whitehall
Mr Johnson replied: 'This is the Leader of the Opposition who would have kept this country in lockdown… he has zero consistency on any issue. One thing we know is he'd like to take us back into the EU and take us back into lockdown if he possibly could.'
After the exchanges, the PM's official spokesman said No10's position on whether the law had been broken was unchanged.
'We are maintaining our position. There is an ongoing process here. The Met have come to a conclusion and have started a process which relates to 20 fines, and we respect that,' the spokesman said.
'We will not be commenting further on the detail of what happened until the investigation is concluded.
'It simply would not be right for me to give the Prime Minister's view in the midst of an ongoing Met Police investigation.'
Mr Johnson delivered a string of jokes about Tory efforts to oust him on Tuesday night as he hosted a lavish team-building dinner.
The PM entertained his MPs for a meal at a luxury central London hotel hours after Scotland Yard announced the first 20 fines for Partygate lockdown breaches.
Mr Johnson is said to have quipped that no-confidence letters are 'elastic — they go in and you can pull them out'. He also admitted he is 'more popular in parts of Kyiv than in parts of Kensington' but vowed to 'turn it round'.
The premier's improved position after the Ukraine crisis erupted was underlined by the warm reception he received from the massed ranks of Tory MPs.
But as they arrived Conservatives were heckled by bereaved families of Covid victims shouting 'off to another party are we?'
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