Boris Johnson should be “respected” for apologising after being fined by police for breaking his own Covid laws, Priti Patel has said.
The prime minister has been handed fixed penalty notice for attending his own birthday party in June 2020 while England was under strict restrictions that banned indoor gatherings.
Speaking to reporters in Rwanda, Patel said: “The prime minister has apologised, the prime minister has paid a fine.
“I’m not going to give a running commentary on this, there’s an investigation still ongoing,” the home secretary said.
“But I think I just come back constantly to the fact that the prime minister has given, actually, a very thorough and fulsome apology, and he should be respected for that.”
Earlier, Johnson refused four times to answer questions about being issued a fine as part of the Met’s partygate investigation.
He told a press conference in Kent he would “set the record straight in any way that I can” in parliament next week.
The PM is said to have attended six of the 12 parties under investigation by the police.
And according to multiple reports, including in The Guardian, The Mirror and The Daily Telegraph, Johnson could face further fines. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, was also fined by police for making an appearance at the party.
Johnson looks to be currently secure in his position, with many Tory MPs nervous about launching a leadership contest amid the war in Ukraine.
But Conservative peer David Wolfson said he had “no option” other than to quit as a justice minister on Wednesday given the PM’s lawbreaking.
Welsh Secretary Simon Hart suggested Johnson would not resign even if he was fined again. He told Times Radio: “I don’t necessarily see the difference between one or two (fines), for example, the principle is the same.
“I personally don’t think that for people in public life – or any other walk of life, for that matter – that should necessarily be accompanied by another penalty, which is the removal of your job or similar.”
More than 50 fines have been referred to the Acro Criminal Records Office since the Met’s inquiry started.
Speaking to broadcasters at his country residence, Chequers, on Tuesday, Johnson said it “did not occur” to him at the time he might be breaching his own Covid rules.