Conservative MPs have launched a campaign to support Boris Johnson following the police’s decision to investigate alleged parties in Downing Street.
Metropolitan police commissioner Cressida Dick confirmed this morning that her force would investigate a “number” of events in Downing Street, reversing the initial position not to probe retrospective breaches of Covid rules.
In an urgent question granted in the Commons, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the unearthing of “potential criminality” in Downing Street was a “truly damning refection on our nation’s very highest office”.
But a number of Tory MPs responded by seeking to defend Johnson against the Met probe, which followed a further claim that he had enjoyed his own birthday party in No.10 during the first lockdown.
Clacton MP Giles Watling branded the urgent question a “vexatious waste of everybody’s time” while Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis, who was sent out to defend the PM from the government frontbench, said 10 minutes of eating cake “would not a party make”.
“If a lot of people gather for work and whilst at work they take tea for 10 minutes – everyone working is permitted reasonable breaks as a part of their working day – so that is one possible interpretation,” he said.
“Ten minutes of eating cake and wishing someone a happy birthday would not a party make. It is a matter for police investigation and that is now happening.”
Dick told members of the London Assembly that while the police did not “normally” investigate retrospective breaches of the rules, the force had decided that some events in No.10 met the three criteria for an after-the-event probe.
They were that those involved knew or ought to have known it was against the rules, that not investigating would undermine the law and that there was “little ambiguity” around the absence of any reasonable defence.
Downing Street has said Johnson believes it to be “entirely right” for the Met to investigate allegations of rule-breaking in No.10 and said he was willing to be interviewed by police if required.
Johnson faced a barrage of criticism from the Labour party, which renewed its call for his resignation.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the PM had “degraded the office of prime minister” and should resign now instead of waiting for the outcome of a separate inquiry by Whitehall enforcer Sue Gray.
Conservative MP David Morris attempted to turn the heat back on Labour, saying there was “no difference” between the events in Downing Street and the “activities” of Keir Starmer, who was captured drinking beer with staff in a constituency office last year.
Starmer said when the photos emerged there was “no party, no breach of the rules and absolutely no comparison with the prime minister.”
Meanwhile, former minister Graham Stuart said he welcomed the Met’s investigation as you “can see the absolute terror on the benches opposite”.
“They know they are up against the prime minister and the government which has brought youth unemployment to its lowest ever level,” he said.
Addressing Ellis, Conservative Edward Leigh said: “When Europe stands on the brink of war and there is cost of living crisis can we please have a sense of proportion over the prime minister being given a piece of cake in his own office by his own staff.”
Ellis replied: “I completely agree.”
Meanwhile, South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon said the partygate allegations were less serious than the “cash for peerages” police probe Tony Blair faced when he was prime minister.
He said: “Compared with being interviewed under caution for flogging peerages, as Tony Blair was ... that eating a piece of birthday cake is a relatively minor offence.”
A Labour source said: “This is utterly shameful. We are the only ones talking about the cost of living crisis — not them.”