UK ‘led by a tag team of scandal’ says Ian Blackford

Boris Johnson has again faced calls to resign as Prime Minister over the partygate fines.

Speaking at PMQs, the SNP’s Ian Blackford said the UK Government was “led by a tag team of scandal”.

He said the Prime Minister “can’t be trusted with the truth” and Chancellor Rishi Sunak “can’t be trusted with his taxes”.

Blackford added: “Neither his party nor the public can afford to keep him around as Prime Minister for one minute longer.”

But Johnson replied: “If that were true, then I don’t think he’d be calling for my resignation.”

He insisted his government was going to “get on with delivering for the British people” and dismissed questions from both Blackford and Keir Starmer over Covid rule breaches, saying the matter had been dealt with on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister addressed the Commons yesterday, the first sitting day since the Met confirmed he had been given a fixed penalty notice for breaking lockdown rules in 2020.

Sunak was also handed a fine, which came after a particularly gruelling week for the Chancellor as he faced questions over his wife’s tax status.

Johnson told MPs it “did not occur” to him that the gathering in June 2020 broke the law, adding: “That was my mistake and I apologise for it unreservedly”.

Starmer said: “Yesterday’s apology lasted for as long as the Prime Minister thought necessary to be clipped for the news.”

He went on to raise reports that the Prime Minister had criticised the BBC and Archbishop of Canterbury at a meeting with Tory backbenchers yesterday evening.

The Labour leader asked: “How can the Prime Minister claim to be a patriot when he deliberately attacks and degrades the institutions of our great country?”

Johnson denied making the comments, insisting he “said nothing of the kind” and reports were “completely without foundation”.