Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own ethics adviser has asked him to explain why he believes he has not broken the ministerial code after being fined for breaches of the blockade.
Lord Geidt said there was a “legitimate question” as to whether the code had been broken, which would normally mean a minister should resign.
“The Prime Minister may consider that this breach of his Ministerial Code has not occurred. In this case, I believe that a Prime Minister should respond accordingly, exposing his case in public,” he added.
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In an exchange of letters, the Prime Minister replied that “there was no intention to break the [COVID] regulations “.
“I did not consider the circumstances in which I received a fixed penalty notice to be contrary to law,” Johnson said.
“I have accepted the result and paid for it in accordance with legal requirements. Payment of a fixed penalty is not a criminal conviction.”
Lord Geidt said he had repeatedly told the prime minister to explain publicly why he thought a fixed penalty notice would not be a breach of the ministers’ code of conduct, but said: “This advice has been ignored.” .
He said the prime minister “has not made a single public reference to the Ministerial Code.”
Lord Geidt also criticized the Prime Minister for refusing to give him the freedom to initiate his own investigations into possible breaches and said he would still need the Prime Minister’s consent before continuing.
Last week, Johnson was accused of diluting the ministerial code after the government said it was being updated to make it clear that ministers would not necessarily have to resign for minor violations.
Instead, the prime minister will have the option of imposing minor sanctions such as “some form of public apology, corrective action or withdrawal of the ministerial salary for a period.”
Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner said there was a “legitimate question” over whether the prime minister broke the ministerial code after being fined by partygate.
“The Prime Minister’s second ethics adviser has now threatened to resign, at the latest sign of the rampant dishonesty that engulfs Downing Street,” he said.
“This is a Prime Minister who changed the rules while being investigated for violating those same rules. He has become a judge and juror in his own trial, giving himself a free pass to surpass British values of decency.
“No matter how hard he tries to manipulate the rules and evade scrutiny, the prime minister has been discovered and his days are numbered.”
Leading Democrat Wendy Chamberlain said: “This scathing critique shows that even Boris Johnson’s own ethics adviser no longer trusts him to tell the truth. He is not fit to hold public office.
“It is not surprising that the Prime Minister has been trying to dilute the Ministerial Code and rewrite the rules. The only person who cares is himself.
“The net is really closing around Johnson. He’s lost his boat to do the decent thing and resign, now the Conservative MPs have to fire him.”
It comes after 28 Conservative MPs have publicly called for the Prime Minister to resign over the party’s doorstep scandal.
A total of 41 Conservative MPs have expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s prime ministerial handling, according to a Sky News count, but in reality 28 have called for his resignation.