The gathering in the Cabinet Room during lockdown restrictions should not have happened and the Prime Minister is “completely mortified”, the Transport Secretary has said. Grant Shapps told Sky News: “I know that the the Prime Minister has apologised for this. He accepts responsibility and he has reorganised Number 10.
“But, you know, I for one, as somebody who couldn’t see my dad for months during this period during lockdowns whilst he was in hospital, and we didn’t know that we would see him again, completely understand the upset and anger this causes because I feel it myself. And the one thing I know – and I spoke to the Prime Minister – is he is completely mortified by this happening.
"We know now a lot more about the day itself as well because we understand about the meetings that were going on, eight separate meetings that day for the Prime Minister, (he) went out and visited a school and came back and and by surprise, some of his team had arranged to wish him happy birthday. “It shouldn’t have happened. He has paid the 50 quid fine. That’s the right thing to do.”
When asked how the Prime Minister can “possibly remain in office”, Mr Shapps said: “Everyone is human, people sometimes make mistakes. He wasn’t there for the 50 events that you are referring to, of course, and many times he was wasn’t even in the building.”
Mr Shapps noted the Prime Minister is “human” and that “sometimes they (humans) make mistakes”, adding: “And that’s what happened. It has been a very high-profile job and quite rightly, the police are investigating, they independently come to their their view. He has apologised, he has accepted responsibility. He has paid a 50-quid fine.
“The question I suppose, your question goes to the heart of, you know, did he set out to do this? Was it something that was done with malice, with intent?
“And the answer of course, is no. It’s something that happened in error, and as I have said, I’ve spoken to him, he is incredibly embarrassed by the whole thing.
“He knows that it was stupid, indefensible. But he didn’t set out to break the law, and he has paid the fixed penalty notice fine, and has a very big job to do.”
He added: “He didn’t knowingly break the law. He didn’t do it deliberately. He didn’t come to Parliament and having knowingly done this.
Mr Shapps said the Prime Minister had thought that gathering with the same people who wished him happy birthday, who he had already been meeting with earlier that day, was not breaking the law. He added: “The police take a different view. He absolutely accepts that and has paid the fine.”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast Mr Shapps was asked what it would take for the Prime Minister to leave office. He said: “We live in a democracy and people have every right to vote, to decide what happens with their representatives”.
When asked how it did not occur to the Prime Minister that he was breaking lockdown rules, he reiterated: “I don’t seek to say anything other than it’s deeply disappointing. Of course, it should have done.
“I think in answer to your question, specifically, he will have already been in that room with the same people that day chairing crisis meetings on the world’s biggest pandemic for over 100 years and he walks in by surprise and into the same room to the people who wished him happy birthday on this occasion. And that’s of course the thing which breached the law, and the police have ruled on that and he has paid the fixed penalty notice of £50 and apologised.”
When asked about the Sue Gray report, Mr Shapps said: “I do accept that the the approach in Number 10 wasn’t right. I also accept before you put it to me that the Prime Minister ultimately has to be responsible for that, but we also know the Prime Minister wasn’t actually there, sometimes he was 50 miles away when some of these activities apparently took place.”
On whether there might be a Parliament recall to discuss the issue, Mr Shapps said: “We meet again next week; it’s Easter weekend in between. So, there will be plenty of opportunity. The Opposition are doing what you’d expect the Opposition to do and that’s absolutely fine.
“There will be plenty of time to discuss this next week. Parliament will come back and do that as well as the issues of the war crimes we see in front of our eyes in Europe, and many other important issues.”
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