Justice Minister David Wolfson has resigned over the “scale, context and nature” of rule-breaking in Downing Street.
In a letter to Boris Johnson, Mr Wolfson said it would be “inconsistent” for him to serve in his position given the breaches of the law at the heart of Government.
He is the first minister to resign over partygate so far - just a day after the prime minister, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were handed a fixed penalty notice.
My letter to the Prime Minister today. pic.twitter.com/lADCvKDKbB
— David Wolfson (@DXWQC) April 13, 2022
Mr Wolfson said the Met Police’s confirmation of the news “lead to the inevitable conclusion that there was repeated rule breaking, and breaches of the criminal law, in Downing Street.”
He continued: “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.”
Elsewhere, he suggested the UK could not “credibly defend democratic norms abroad” if it was not seen to be “resolutey committed both to the observanc of the law and also to the rule of law”.
In response, Mr Johnson said he was “sorry to recieve” the resignation.
The Prime Minister wrote to the Tory peer: “We have greatly benefited from your years of legal experience, and you can be proud of the contribution you have made to the Government as we have implemented important reforms to cut crime and support victims.”
The Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, added that the "world-class lawyer” would be "sorely missed" in Government.
Tory MPs and ministers rallied around Mr Johnson on Wednesday, insisting the PM had apologised and should not resign after receiving the fine.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps defended the Prime Minister on Wednesday morning, saying he is “human” and did not knowingly break the law.
Asked on Sky News how Mr Johnson can “possibly remain in office”, he said: “Everyone is human, people sometimes make mistakes.”
“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.
More than 50 fines have been referred to the Acro Criminal Records Office since the inquiry started.
The fine issued to the PM and the Chancellor was linked to an event on June 19 2020, at which, according to Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns, the Prime Minister was “ambushed with a cake”.
Reports have suggested that up to 30 people attended the do and sang Happy Birthday.
