DOWNING Street has refused to say whether the Prime Minister still has confidence in Douglas Ross as the Leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
Officials also cast doubt on Mr Ross’s claims that Mr Johnson told him he believed he had done nothing wrong during a phone call yesterday.
It comes after Mr Ross said the Prime Minister should resign when he admitted attending a garden party in his flat on May 20, 2020.
In an interview, the Scottish Conservatives leader said he had contacted Mr Johnson before publicly calling for him to quit, and the PM had told him he believed he hadn’t done anything wrong.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross calls for Boris Johnson's resignation
After Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Mr Johnson went to the MPs’ tearoom where he attempted to shore up support and appeal to his party.
However the move left some MPs questioning his motivation, with one telling the Times he said “we have taken a lot of hits in politics and this is one of them.”
Others also said Mr Johnson denied wrongdoing.
Asked about the claims, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I think you're referring to some of the comments from unsourced MPs in the tea room, places like that.
"You'll appreciate I wasn't with the Prime Minister at that point, but those are unsourced claims. And I think what is clear is what the Prime Minister said repeatedly in the house which is very much his view.”
When challenged about Douglas Ross’s claims, the spokesman said: “I can't comment on on those claims that Douglas Ross has made.
“I simply point you to what the Prime Minister made clear repeatedly in the house.
“I think you've got the Prime Minister's view in the house, where he made clear repeatedly ‘There were things we simply did not get right and I must take responsibility.’
"That is what the Prime Minister's view is.”
The spokesman was asked if Mr Johnson still had confidence in Mr Ross as Scottish Conservative leader, which he refused to answer.
He said he could not comment on “political” matters, adding: “I think, again, you’ve asked me to talk about party political matters, given he's the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.”
Asked whether he agreed with Jacob Rees-Mogg that Mr Ross was a “lightweight”, the spokesman declined to answer, saying it was a “party-political” issue.
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