Partygate fines: Eddie Mair grills Tory MP over PM's future
12 April 2022, 18:37
Partygate fines: Eddie Mair grills Tory MP Sir Roger Gale over PM future
This is the moment Eddie Mair grilled Tory MP Sir Roger Gale who doesn't think Boris Johnson should resign as Prime Minister amid the Ukraine crisis.
The Prime Minister and Rishi Sunak will both receive fixed-penalty notices for breaking Covid laws, following after a police investigation.
The Prime Minister's wife,Carrie Johnson is also going to receive a fixed penalty notice, her spokesperson has confirmed.
Boris Johnson has now become the first sitting British Prime Minister to have broken the law.
Tory MP Sir Roger Gale told LBC: "The Prime Minister told the House of Commons in terms that he did not believe that any rules had been broken and that effectively there were no parties.
"But we know that he attended at least one of those parties, possibly two and maybe even three. And for that he has been fine, quite properly - no question about that.
"So he misled the House. And days gone by, that would have been a resignation issue. But these days, going back to Mr Blair and possibly before, Prime Ministers don't resign when they mislead the House nor do other Ministers. That's regrettable but that's how it is."
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The Tory MP made clear he didn't think a Tory leadership election should be held as the Ukraine crisis continues to unfold.
Eddie Mair pointed out that Winston Churcill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister in 1940 while there was a war on.The LBC went on to point out that Winston Churchill was replaced in Clement Attlee when the war with Japan was still going on, before then pointing out that in World War 1 Herbert Asquith was replaced by David Lloyd George in 1916.
In response, the Tory MP said: "Yes, but we weren't playing one of the key roles, if not the key role, in all of those events."
Sir Roger Gale last year confirmed that he has sent a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady.
Speaking to Eddie today, he also said: "I never withdrew my letter. My letter is still on the table."
After being asked by Eddie if he should withdraw the letter, the Tory MP said no and that doing so would be a "meaningless gesture".
