A host of Tory MPs have come to the PM’s aid following the fixed penalty notice he received for violating lockdown rules on June 19, 2020, while other previous dissenters have withdrawn letters of no confidence due to the international crisis in Ukraine. But Mr Marr said that the Party is “making a big mistake” by standing by Mr Johnson, and that Partygate will be “remembered” by the electorate to the party’s detriment.
Opening his show on LBC, Mr Marr said: “Since it was discovered that Boris Johnson is the first Prime Minister to break a law he wrote himself, the outcome so far has been a big ‘So what’ [from Conservatives].
“The Conservative Party doesn’t have the will, or some might say the basic courage, to force this Prime Minister out.
“They have heard excuses, they have found excuses, they keep finding excuses.
“I think they are making a big mistake. I think voters remember the rule-breaking of No10 parties during the pandemic and they will punish Conservatives led by Boris Johnson when they get a chance.
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, in his response to the PM’s apology in Commons, accused Tory MP’s of “debasing themselves parroting [Mr Johnson’s] absurd defences” regarding Partygate.
He claimed the longer this went on, “the more the public will believe that all politicians are the same, all as bad as each other, and that suits this Prime Minister just fine”.
Sir Keir was referencing a number of excuses Tory MPs have made in the past few months since reports and then confirmations of Mr Johnson’s rule breaking were made public.
Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis this morning attempted to downplay the fixed penalty notice by saying it was “like parking fines”.
Electorate intentions have swung against the Conservtaive Party for the May local elections according to a Britain Elects poll.
In April 2020, Mr Johnson’s party enjoyed almost a 20-point advantage over the Labour party, boasting more than half of the vote.
But towards the end of last year, as the Partygate scandal came to the fore of public attention, Labour began to overturn the deficit.
As of March 24, 2022, with the May elections months away, the poll suggests Labour have a 38.5 percent holding of the electorate, while the Conservative have only 34.6 percent stake.
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