Boris Johnson facing growing criticism from Tory MPs over latest partygate photos

Several MPs who had withdrawn their earlier condemnation of Mr Johnson over Downing Street parties returned to call for his resignation

The Prime Minister pictured raising a glass at a leaving party on 13th November 2020
The Prime Minister pictured raising a glass at a leaving party on 13th November 2020 Credit: ITV News

Boris Johnson is facing criticism from his own MPs over photos that show him raising a glass at a colleague’s leaving party during lockdown, as backbenchers say it “raises new questions” about his leadership.

Several MPs who had withdrawn their earlier condemnation of Mr Johnson over partygate returned to call for his resignation after the photos were published by ITV on Monday night.

The images show Mr Johnson and several aides, who have been pixelated, toasting Lee Cain, the outgoing Downing Street Communications Director.

Tom Tugendhat, the Tory chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said the photographs showed a lack of “seriousness” at the heart of Government.

"We're spending the morning talking about two incredibly serious things. One is Nazanin, one is Afghanistan.

"And the implications for both of those are the lack of seriousness in British policy, and that lack of seriousness has a direct effect.

He added: “Seriousness in government matters. It costs us all. And I'm afraid this just doesn't look serious."

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David Simmonds, who represents a neighbouring constituency to Mr Johnson, said the photographs would reignite anger about the parties among voters.

“Clearly it does raise a new question that we were all told very clearly that there definitely had not been a party on the day in question and these photographs have emerged which suggest that that's not the case,” he said.

“Many of my constituents lost relatives, they lost friends and family members, my father-in-law died of Covid."

Peter Aldous and Sir Roger Gale, who had previously submitted letters of no confidence in Mr Johnson’s leadership, said they had not withdrawn them and still believed he should resign.

'He misled us from the despatch box' 

Sir Roger said on Monday night: “It’s absolutely clear there was a party, that he attended it, that he was raising a toast glass to one of his colleagues. Therefore, he misled us from the despatch box.”

Discussing his letter of no confidence, Mr Aldous told GB News: “I weighed up all manner of considerations and I concluded then that it would be best for the country, and dare I say it for the Conservative Party, if he did [resign].

“And I’ve revisited that decision over the last few months, and I’ve decided that really those reasons are still there.”

The Telegraph understands that the publication of Sue Gray report into 16 allegedly lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street during the pandemic has been delayed until at least Wednesday.

Following the publication of the report, Mr Johnson will make a statement to Parliament about its contents.

Parliament’s Privileges Committee is then expected to begin an investigation into whether the Prime Minister misled the Commons when he said he believed no rules had been broken in No10 while Britain was under lockdown.

On Monday night Downing Street sources pointed to the fact that Mr Johnson had not been fined over the event, unlike other attendees.

The event was one of 12 investigated by the Met Police, who must have concluded the event qualified as work for Mr Johnson, sources said.

It was also suggested that Ms Gray’s report will contain many more similar images.

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