Lord Geidt says there is a “legitimate question” over whether Boris Johnson broke ministerial rules.
Boris Johnson’s standards adviser says there is a “legitimate question” over whether the PM broke the ministerial code after getting fined for Partygate.
Lord Geidt said he repeatedly told the PM’s team to be ready to explain if his actions stuck within the rules – even if he thought there was no breach.
But he said the advice had not been “heeded”, calling on Mr Johnson to set out his case to the public.
The prime minister said he does not consider his fine to be a breach.
Writing to Lord Geidt, Mr Johnson said he had “no intent to break the regulations”, and that he had been “fully accountable to Parliament and the British people”.
The ministerial code outlines the rules government ministers must follow when in office, including the “overarching duty” of ministers to comply with the law.
If the code is broken, the convention in Westminster is for a minister to resign.
The Metropolitan Police carried out an investigation into lockdown breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall after allegations surfaced towards the end of 2021.
A total of 126 fines were handed out to 83 people as a result of the force’s investigation into 12 events during the pandemic.
And a wider report by senior civil servant Sue Gray revealed a drunken party culture within No 10 while the rest of the country was ordered to stay at home.
Mr Johnson – along with his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak – was given a fixed penalty notice by the Met for attending a birthday party thrown in his honour in June 2020.
Following Ms Gray’s report last week, the PM apologised to the Commons, saying he had been “humbled by the whole experience” and had learned lessons.
But pressure has continued to grow, with at least 12 MPs calling on him to resign since the report’s publication.