KEIR Starmer has accused the Prime Minister of having “held people’s sacrifice in contempt” – insisting that the public’s lockdown experiences will be “forever tainted” by his behaviour.
The Labour leader called on Tory backbench MPs to force Boris Johnson from office after Sue Gray’s interim report highlighted "failures of leadership" at No 10 and insisted some behaviour was "difficult to justify".
Sir Keir told MPs that the Prime Minister “repeatedly assured the house that the guidance was followed" but warned that “there can be no doubt the Prime Minister himself is now subject to criminal investigation” for allegedly breaking the regulations.
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He added: “Over the last two years the British public have been asked to make the most heart-wrenching sacrifices. A collective trauma endured by all, enjoyed by none.
“And revelations about the Prime Minister’s behaviour have forced us all to re-think and re-live those darkest moments.
“They have shown the deep public spirit and the love and respect for others that has always characterised this nation at its best.
“But that will be forever tainted by the behaviour of this Conservative Prime Minister.”
Sir Keir said that by “routinely breaking the rules he set, the Prime Minister took us all for fools”.
He added: “He held people’s sacrifice in contempt. He showed himself unfit for office."
“Rather than come clean, every step of the way he has insulted the public’s intelligence.”
Nicola Sturgeon said that the interim report by Ms Gray is “excoriating” of Mr Johnson, adding that “he is guilty of serial failures of leadership and judgement”, claiming that the Prime Minister “has clearly misled Parliament”.
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Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who has previously called for Mr Johnson to resign, said “that remains my position” following the redacted report being published.
He added: “It is vital that the final report, following the Met investigation, is published in full.”
Former Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, vented her anger on behalf of constituents who “played by the rules”.
She added: “Now they look at what happened in No 10 and they feel like idiots – and they shouldn’t be made to feel like that."
Mr Johnson faced an angry contribution from Conservative backbench MP, Aaron Bell, who gave an emotional recollection of his experience of attending his grandmother’s funeral in the early weeks of the pandemic.
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In an apparent dig at the PM’s interpretation of the rules his Government set, Mr Bell said: “Does the Prime Minster think I am a fool?”
Mr Johnson also faced a backlash from his predecessor, former prime minister Theresa May, who appeared to imply the PM either hadn’t bothered to read his own rules, couldn’t comprehend what they required or didn’t think they applied to Downing Street.
Ms May, who was ousted by Mr Johnson in 2019, said: “The Covid regulations imposed significant restrictions on the freedoms of members of the public. They had a right to expect their Prime Minister to have read the rules, to understand the meaning of the rules and indeed those around him to have done so too and to set an example in following those rules.
“What the Gray report does show is that Number 10 Downing Street was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public, so either my right honourable friend had not read the rules or didn’t understand what they meant and others around him, or they didn’t think the rules applied to Number 10. Which was it?”
Mr Johnson replied: “No, Mr Speaker, that is not what the Gray report says.
“I suggest that she waits to see the conclusion of the inquiry.”
Later, Tory backbencher Andrew Mitchell, a former ally of Mr Johnson, told the PM that he no longer has his support.
He said: “Ever since he joined the party’s candidate list 30 years ago, until we got him into Number 10, he has enjoyed my full-throated support.
“But I am deeply concerned by these events and very concerned indeed by some of the things he has said from that dispatch box, and has said to the British public and our constituents.
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“When he kindly invited me to see him 10 days ago, I told him that he should think very carefully about what was now in the best interests of our country and of the Conservative party, and I have to tell him he no longer enjoys my support.”
In reply, Mr Johnson said: “Great though the admiration is I have of him, I simply think he is mistaken in his views, and I urge him to reconsider upon full consideration of the inquiry.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Many had to bury their children alone, many couldn’t be there with them at the end. Meanwhile Number 10 partied.
“Does the Prime Minister understand, does he care, about the enormous hurt his actions have caused to bereaved families across our country? Will he finally accept that the only decent thing that he can do now is to resign?”
Mr Johnson replied: “I do care deeply about the hurt that is felt across the country, about the suggestion that things were going on in Number 10 that were in contravention of the Covid rules… I must say that I think we should wait for outcome of the inquiry before jumping to the conclusions that he has.”
But the Scottish Secretary jumped to Mr Johnson’s defence.
Alister Jack said the Prime Minister “has my full support”.
He added: “He has accepted the findings of the report and he has made a sincere apology.
"He has taken responsibility and undertaken to fix things. I have no doubt that he will do that.”
Mr Jack said: “Our focus must now be on the issues that matter most to people - recovering from the pandemic, boosting our economy and rebuilding our public services.
"This Government and this Prime Minister have a track record to be proud of. That includes the most effective Covid vaccination programme in Europe, and now the fastest growing economy the G7.
“We are delivering record funding for Holyrood, a £1.5billion growth deal programme, and investing directly in projects to improve communities the length and breadth of Scotland.
"We will continue to deliver for Scotland and the whole UK.”
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