Boris Johnson faces three more fines following the Partygate scandal, sources have revealed. And the UK Prime Minister came under further pressure as the calls for him to go grew, while a peer quit in protest.
An insider said that the PM was 'bang to rights' over parties, while a source added that 'this is not the only fine he is getting'.
Pressure began to increase from members of Johnson's own party, as certain Tories joined the growing calls for him to resign his place in office through the party fines, which see him as the first Prime Minister in British history to receive criminal sanctioning while in power - The Mirror reports.
Read more: Prime Minister Boris Johnson could face £10,000 in Covid fines, says lawyer
And it came as sources claimed it could get worse for the PM as he braced himself for up to three more fixed penalty notices. One of his own peers became the first to resign in protest at shameless Mr Johnson’s response to the £50 lockdown fines he, wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were hit with.
It raised fears among Tories that further resignations will follow.
Mr Johnson was alleged to have been at six of the dozen gatherings being probed by police. One Downing Street insider said the PM had been taken by surprise by his initial fine but was “bang to rights” over the other gatherings.
A figure close to the probe added: “This is not the only fine Johnson is getting.” The PM admitted himself more penalties could be coming down the track. He told reporters: “If they are, you will be the first to know.”
A senior Tory said: “The cake fine seems harsh. But the other parties will be entirely different”. Mr Johnson became the first sitting Prime Minister found to have broken the law.
But he still refused to quit, instead offering a feeble apology in a desperate bid to move on from the scandal, which sparked fury among the grieving relatives of Covid victims.
Lord Wolfson last night resigned with a stinging rebuke to the PM. The former Justice Minister in the Lords told Mr Johnson: “I regret that recent disclosures lead to the inevitable conclusion that there was repeated rule breaking, and breaches of the criminal law, in Downing Street.
“I have, again, with considerable regret, come to the conclusion that the scale, context and nature of those breaches mean that it would be inconsistent with the rule of law for that conduct to pass with constitutional impunity, especially when many in society complied with the rules at great personal cost, and others were fined for similar, and apparently sometimes more trivial, offences.
“It is not just a question of what happened in Downing Street, or your own conduct. It is also, and perhaps more so, the official response to what took place.” Tory MPs Nigel Mills and Craig Whittaker became the first to break ranks and call for the Mr Johnson to quit.
Mr Mills said people are “rightly angry” that the PM did not have the “decency or sense” to follow his own Covid rules while they did.
And Mr Whittaker said: “I not only think that the Prime Minister should resign but I also think that Rishi Sunak should resign as well.”
But loyal Tories have defended the PM, claiming his apology is enough to right the wrongs and using the cost of living crisis and war in Ukraine as reasons why he should not resign.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps claimed Mr Johnson was “completely mortified” by the fine over his own illegal birthday party.
“He’s human and humans err, and sometimes they make mistakes and that’s what happened here.”
But he undermined his defence by claiming that Mr Johnson had not meant to break the law. Mr Shapps said: “It wasn’t his intention. He didn’t set out with malice.”
And former Cabinet minister Edwina Currie sparked outrage when asked about the PM’s law-breaking by replying that “I really don’t care” because she expected Tories to win local elections anyway.
Her view echoes what many PM allies are saying privately that they believe Partygate will blow over. But jittery Tories, who have been keeping their powder dry for now, are concerned the drip, drip affect could reignite public anger over the scandal.
Although the PM appears safe for now, just 54 MPs need to submit letters of no confidence to trigger a leadership challenge. Mr Johnson, who repeatedly told MPs no rules had been broken in No10, is expected to correct the record in Parliament next week and say he made his claims “in good faith”.
Ministers are only expected to stand down if they “knowingly” mislead the Commons. If the PM does get more fines, the cost will double for each one, up to a cap of £6,400.
