A government minister has heaped praise on Boris Johnson’s “laser-like” focus during the “partygate” scandal, as he admitted the PM was “ambushed” by a cake.
Senior Tory figures have been defending the alleged Westminster and Whitehall lockdown rule-breaking since the end of last year, but the excuses reached a zenith this week after revelations about Johnson having a birthday party at Downing Street last June.
On Tuesday, Conor Burns, the Northern Ireland minister and a long-standing ally, insisted that the PM had been “ambushed with a cake” and was not having a “premeditated” birthday bash.
The row has rumbled on, and on Thursday night defence minister James Heappey was probed about the controversy on BBC’s Question Time. The MP admitted the public was “furious”, but insisted Johnson was not distracted and remained across his brief. Labour has said the opposite, however, arguing the “zombie government” is not running the country properly.
Heappey told the audience in Morecambe: “Since this story broke, the ‘partygate’ thing, Omicron came and I was sat in meeting after meeting after meeting, over Christmas, in which the prime minister was laser-like focused on the booster campaign.
“In the last few weeks, we have seen the biggest build-up of troops on the European continent since 1945, and I can tell you that I have been in meeting after meeting where the prime minister was laser-like focused on the threat to our national security that that represents.
“Last night, he came across to the Ministry of Defence and was briefed by the chief of the defence staff about what all this means for us and he sat there for an hour-and-a-half to two hours and I can tell you he was not distracted. He was entirely focused on making the right decisions for our country at a very challenging time.”
Heappey had earlier dismissed the significance of Johnson’s wife throwing him a surprise birthday party in June 2020 with 30 attendees, when it was against Covid rules to have different households meet indoors.
The minster said: “I think that the thing that came out about the ambush with the cake ... I don’t know that that is quite as egregious as everybody says. I think if he was working and people come into the room with a cake, that is not exactly his fault.”
Others disagreed.
As reported by HuffPost UK, Labour pointed to a lack of progress on a number of bills as well as the government’s failure to deal with a raft of problems as proof that the PM has become paralysed while he waits for Sue Gray’s report into alleged lockdown parties.
The House of Commons has also risen early on a number of occasions because MPs have had no business to deal with, most recently on Wednesday when it adjourned at 4.40pm.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “Boris Johnson and the Conservatives are failing Britain.
“This zombie government is so mired in scandal and police investigations that it cannot address the urgent issues facing our country.”
Senior Tory figures have been defending the alleged Westminster and Whitehall lockdown rule-breaking since the end of last year, but the excuses reached a zenith this week after revelations about Johnson having a birthday party at Downing Street last June.
On Tuesday, Conor Burns, the Northern Ireland minister and a long-standing ally, insisted that the PM had been “ambushed with a cake” and was not having a “premeditated” birthday bash.
The row has rumbled on, and on Thursday night defence minister James Heappey was probed about the controversy on BBC’s Question Time. The MP admitted the public was “furious”, but insisted Johnson was not distracted and remained across his brief. Labour has said the opposite, however, arguing the “zombie government” is not running the country properly.
Heappey told the audience in Morecambe: “Since this story broke, the ‘partygate’ thing, Omicron came and I was sat in meeting after meeting after meeting, over Christmas, in which the prime minister was laser-like focused on the booster campaign.
“In the last few weeks, we have seen the biggest build-up of troops on the European continent since 1945, and I can tell you that I have been in meeting after meeting where the prime minister was laser-like focused on the threat to our national security that that represents.
“Last night, he came across to the Ministry of Defence and was briefed by the chief of the defence staff about what all this means for us and he sat there for an hour-and-a-half to two hours and I can tell you he was not distracted. He was entirely focused on making the right decisions for our country at a very challenging time.”
Heappey had earlier dismissed the significance of Johnson’s wife throwing him a surprise birthday party in June 2020 with 30 attendees, when it was against Covid rules to have different households meet indoors.
The minster said: “I think that the thing that came out about the ambush with the cake ... I don’t know that that is quite as egregious as everybody says. I think if he was working and people come into the room with a cake, that is not exactly his fault.”
Others disagreed.
As reported by HuffPost UK, Labour pointed to a lack of progress on a number of bills as well as the government’s failure to deal with a raft of problems as proof that the PM has become paralysed while he waits for Sue Gray’s report into alleged lockdown parties.
The House of Commons has also risen early on a number of occasions because MPs have had no business to deal with, most recently on Wednesday when it adjourned at 4.40pm.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “Boris Johnson and the Conservatives are failing Britain.
“This zombie government is so mired in scandal and police investigations that it cannot address the urgent issues facing our country.”
