Prime Monister Boris Johnson (Daniel Leal/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Boris Johnson’s allies were today warned off seeking to put pressure on Scotland Yard to give the Prime Minister “special treatment” during its probe into the partygate scandal.
Sir Bob Neill, Conservative chairman of the Commons justice committee, stressed that “any suggestion of political pressure on the police is completely reprehensible”.
He intervened after a senior ally of Mr Johnson told The Times that the Metropolitan Police will need to be “very certain” that he had broken lockdown rules before issuing him with a fixed penalty notice.
The source added: “There is inevitably a degree of discretion here. Do you want the Met Police deciding who the Prime Minister is?”
However, Adam Wagner, a human rights barrister and expert in Covid regulations, stressed that the legal test is that the police “reasonably believe” someone has committed an offence before issuing a fixed penalty notice.
He added: “This will be the same regardless of how important the person is — this is the rule of law.”
Responding to this, Sir Bob, MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, tweeted: “Correct. It is completely inappropriate to suggest that there should be any special treatment for anyone involved in these inquiries and any suggestion of political pressure on the police is completely reprehensible.
“No10 would do well to disown it.”
It came as another senior Tory warned that Mr Johnson will “fall” if he loses the confidence of the Cabinet.
Lord Willetts, a former universities minister dubbed “Two Brains”, made clear that prime ministers can be removed by more than a confidence vote by MPs.
Amid the “partygate” scandal, he also called for the shake-up at the heart of Government to boost the role of Cabinet ministers.
“Johnson’s own style of government needs a strong effective Cabinet Office with clear but limited role and commanding the trust of respected departmental ministers,” the peer wrote on ConservativeHome.
“And to move from constitutional doctrine to practical politics; Prime Ministers fall when they lose the confidence of their Cabinet colleagues.”
Many Cabinet ministers in Mr Johnson’s government are Brexit loyalists.
However, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from Mr Johnson’s Jimmy Savile “slur” on Sir Keir Starmer, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has suggested the Prime Minister may have to go if he is found to have deliberately misled Parliament, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said he should remain in No10 for “as long as possible”.
