Tory backbencher Adam Rosindell showed his support for the prime minister by comparing partygate to robbing a bank in a bizarre exchange with Sky News.
Boris Johnson has faced renewed criticism – and a new probe from the Metropolitan Police – after it was revealed that his wife threw him a surprise birthday party in June 2020 with 30 attendees, when it was against Covid rules to have different households meet indoors.
But backbencher Rosindell has stood by the prime minister, despite the outcry.
He described so-called “cakegate” as a “frenzy”, and said: “He’s made a mistake, no question about that, we all do.”
Rosindell continued: “I think we’ve all done it, let’s not be so judgemental that the prime minister of the United Kingdom has not committed some horrendous, terrible crime the deserves the entire government to be derailed.”
Sky News’ Kay Burley replied: “And you’re confident that it’s OK for the prime minister who makes the rules to break the rules and thus break the law – that’s OK?”
“No it’s not – you know I’m sure there are ministers who get parking tickets and speeding fines too,” Rosindell said.
“Anyway, lots of people break the law in small ways, sometimes unintentionally.
“He’s not robbed a bank.”
This, unsurprisingly, did not appease the general public’s worries.
Rosindell’s defence for the prime minister comes shortly after another Tory backbencher, Conor Burns, claimed Johnson was effectively “ambushed by cake”, and therefore his birthday party was not his fault.
This, too, led to bewildered tweets about whether backbenchers understood the severity of partygate and the ongoing probe from the Met into Downing Street.
There have been growing calls for the prime minister to resign from office over the alleged parties.
However, many backbenchers are reportedly waiting until senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into partygate is released before contemplating backing a vote of no confidence in Johnson in a bid to oust him from No.10.