Boris Johnson will avoid today’s emergency debate on MPs’ sleaze due to a “long-standing” visit to the north of England.
The prime minister’s official spokesman revealed that Johnson was on a hospital visit to “see the importance of NHS staff getting their booster jabs”.
Instead, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay will represent the government.
The spokesman insisted Mr Barclay was the right person to appear at the debate because of his cross-government role.
He said Johnson’s visit was a “long-standing plan for him to go up there and see the importance of NHS staff getting their boosters”.
The spokesman insisted the visit was planned before the standards debate was scheduled and because he is travelling by train, he would not arrive back in Westminster in time to attend the debate.
Asked why he could not fly back to London as he did from the Cop26 summit last week, the spokesman said: “I gave you the reason for that flight before.”
However, the Labour Party sought to capitalise on the PM’s absence by launching social media graphics and accusing him of “running scared”.
It comes just a few hours after a cabinet minister suggested Johnson did not need to attend the debate and could follow proceedings on a TV in his office.
International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said instead, he should be focusing on “important” prime ministerial matters.
It comes after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that a no-show by the prime minister would demonstrate he was “either too arrogant or too cowardly to take responsibility” for the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal.
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