Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis shows support for Johnson in wake of partygate
The Northern Ireland secretary insists Boris Johnson will survive the ongoing Partygate scandal to fight and win the next general election as Conservative leader.
Brandon Lewis’s comment came amid growing pressure on the PM – some from his own MPs – to quit if he is fined by police over alleged lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street, with ex-leader Iain Duncan Smith saying it would be “very tough” for him to stay on.
“He has my absolute 100 per cent-plus loyalty,” the cabinet minister said of his boss, adding he had got all “the big decisions right”.
Meanwhile, police have been asked to investigate death threats made against Sir Keir Starmer by right-wing extremists in the wake of the PM’s false claim that he “failed to prosecute” the paedophile Jimmy Savile. Messages from users of the Telegram app have been sent to police by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate. Among them were calls for the Labour leader and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy to be “executed”.
That’s it for today
We’re ending our live UK politics coverage for the day, thanks for following along.
We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Sam Hancock13 February 2022 16:27
Watch: ‘Cultural issue in Met’ that must be ‘unpicked’, says former chief
‘Cultural issue in the Met’ that must be ‘unpicked’, says former police chief
Sam Hancock13 February 2022 16:11
Letters: If PM is found to have broken Covid laws, he must go
Today, our readers give their thoughts on everything from Partygate to Boris Johnson’s new communications director, Guto Harri.
Sam Hancock13 February 2022 15:37
Khan will oppose Met chief who can’t tackle force’s ‘cultural problems’
More from Sadiq Khan, who has pledged to oppose the appointment of a new Met Police chief unless they have a “robust plan” to deal with the “cultural problems” that have led to a series of scandals at the force.
Writing in The Observer, the London Mayor said he was “deeply concerned” that public trust and confidence in the country’s biggest police force “has been shattered so badly”, which he concluded could only be rebuilt with new leadership at the top of the Met.
Dame Cressida Dick dramatically announced she was standing down as Metropolitan Police Commissioner on Thursday evening after Mr Khan made clear he had no confidence in her plans to reform the service.
Sam Hancock13 February 2022 15:07
Watch: NHS chief ‘frustrated’ govt won’t sign up to recruitment plan
NHS chief ‘incredibly frustrated’ that govt won’t sign up to long-term NHS recruitment plan
Sam Hancock13 February 2022 14:41
Labour: Reforms needed to deal with ‘perfect storm’ for policing
Following my earlier post (1.45pm),…
Read More: Boris Johnson latest news: PM ‘can win next election’ as Starmer receives
