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Downing Street party: PM to face MPs following revelations
Witnesses have said the PM and his wife were among 30 people at the event on the 20 May 2020.
Senior Conservatives have joined Labour in saying he must explain his actions.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said if he was there, and he lied about it, his position is “untenable.”
The prime minister has so far declined to say whether or not he attended the event.
On Monday, ITV published a leaked email from Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, inviting staff to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden” on 20 May 2020 – when lockdown rules in England banned large outdoor gatherings.
The invitation encouraged people to “bring your own booze” and “make the most of the lovely weather”.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner told BBC Breakfast if Mr Johnson had broken Covid rules and lied to the public and parliament, then his position as prime minister was now “untenable”.
“The prime minister cannot break the law, lie to the British public and not be held to account for that,” she added.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told BBC Breakfast if the prime minister had a “shred of decency left”, he should resign today.
He added Mr Johnson was “incapable of leading our country through this public health crisis”, accusing him of being a “threat to the health of the nation” as the public would not listen to anything he had to say.
If the prime minister won’t resign, it was the duty of Conservative MPs to “do the right thing” and ensure he does “in the interests of the country”, Sir Ed argued.
The PM’s official spokesman has also refused to confirm whether Mr Johnson attended the May 2020 Downing Street gathering. He added that the prime minister retained full confidence in Mr Reynolds.
But backbencher Nigel Mills told BBC Newsnight an inquiry was not needed to establish whether the prime minister was there.
“He knows whether he was there or not. Just come out and say what happened,” he said.
Mr Mills said it would be “utterly untenable” for any senior figure who attended the gathering to be responsible for setting Covid-19 policy.
“If the prime minister knowingly attended a party, I can’t see how he can survive,” he said.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he didn’t believe Mr Johnson should resign, adding that people should be judged on the positives and negatives, citing government achievements including the successful vaccination rollout and the prime minister “holding his nerve” on refusing to introduce further Covid rules in England.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Mr Johnson must quit if he was found to have broken Covid rules.
Sir Charles Walker, vice-chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, said there was a lot of anger over what had happened, adding that the prime minister urgently needed to rebuild public trust.
“I think the prime minister needs to spend the next six months restoring trust in No 10 and making some good and strong decisions. I think that is the challenge for him,” he told Channel 4 News.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is expected to return to Prime Minister’s Questions later, having missed last week’s session after contracting Covid.
On Tuesday, Mr Johnson sent Paymaster General Michael Ellis to respond on his behalf to an emergency Commons question on the issue tabled by Labour.
The Conservative benches were sparsely populated, while no senior ministers appeared publicly to defend Mr Johnson.
During the session, DUP MP Jim Shannon was brought to tears when speaking of the death of his mother-in-law during the pandemic.
But Tory MP Suzanne Webb, said: “The time of the House is better spent at this moment in time, as we recover from this pandemic… debating how we can build back better and level up.”
In December, the prime minister asked for an independent inquiry to investigate a series of allegations about events taking place in government buildings in 2020 despite coronavirus restrictions being in force.
Ms Gray’s probe is investigating specific events including a leaving drinks for a No 10 aide on 27 November, a Department of Education gathering on 10 December and a Christmas quiz for No 10 staff on 15 December.
It is also examining the Downing Street Christmas party on 18 December, and on Tuesday, Ellis said drinks events held in the Downing Street garden on 20 and 15 May 2020 would also be added to the inquiry.