A Delta Poll for the Mirror has found that 49 per cent of people who voted Conservative in the last election think Boris Johnson lied to the Commons over Partygate. Last week MPs backed a Commons probe into whether he deliberately misled Parliament, which is traditionally a resigning offence for ministers.
Partygate is a term referring to several alleged parties and other gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff held during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when public health restrictions prohibited most gatherings. While several lockdowns in the country were in place, gatherings took place at 10 Downing Street, its garden and other government buildings.
In late January this year, twelve gatherings came under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, including at least three attended by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister. More than 50 fixed penalty notices have been issued to individuals who the police believe had committed an offence under COVID-19 regulations, including Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
However, the Prime Minister repeatedly denied knowledge of Downing Street lockdown parties to MPs. After he received his first fine for a lockdown birthday party, Mr Johnson told MPs it had not occurred to him “then or subsequently” that he had broken the law.
Now, data shows that two in three people think Boris Johnson lied deliberately to the Commons over Partygate. A poll found 66 per cent of voters thought he knew his actions had breached the rules, whereas just 20 per cent believed he was telling the truth.
The Privileges Committee investigation, which will only start after Scotland Yard has completed its own inquiry, has the power to request evidence. This means senior civil servant Sue Gray, who has conducted a third probe, could be asked for the 300 photos and 500 documents she has collated.
More than seven in ten people think that the photos of Downing Street lockdown parties submitted as evidence should be published. Also, more than one in three voters – 38 per cent – say they should be published as soon as possible, though the Metropolitan Police investigation is ongoing.
The Partygate scandal continues to dog Mr Johnson on the campaign trail ahead of next week’s local elections. More than half of voters, 54 per cent, said the PM’s response after having been found to have broken the law has made them less favourable towards the Conservatives.
With some Tory MPs plotting to oust Mr Johnson as Tory leader after polling day, nearly six in ten voters, 57 per cent, think he should resign over the saga. This includes a third (33 per cent) of those who voted Conservative at the last election and one in five (20 per cent) current Conservative supporters.
Poll question 1
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak recently received fines by the police for breaking COVID lockdown laws. They were both reported to be at the same gathering for the Prime Minister’s birthday in June 2020.
In a statement to MPs in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister said: "It did not occur to me then or subsequently that a gathering in the cabinet room just before a vital meeting on COVID strategy could amount to a breach of the rules.”
Do you believe this statement does or does not tell the truth about what really happened?
It does tell the truth - at the time the Prime Minister did not think his actions breached the rules - 20 per cent
It does not tell the truth - at the time the Prime Minister knew his actions breached the rules - 66 per cent
Poll question 2
Do you think that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, should resign after being found to have broken the law over Covid restrictions during lockdown?
Yes - 57 per cent
No - 31 per cent
Poll question 3
It has been reported that photographs taken at events by taxpayer-funded official photographers for the Prime Minister are among the evidence submitted to investigations into the gatherings.
Which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
These photographs should be published publicly as soon as possible - 38 per cent
These photographs should be published publicly, but only once all formal investigations have finished - 33 per cent
These photographs were taken at private gatherings and should not be published publicly - 18 per cent
Poll question 4
Taking everything into account, would you say the response of the Prime Minister after being found to have broken the law over COVID restrictions during lockdown has made you feel more or less favourable towards the Conservatives, or has it made no difference?
More favourable - 5 per cent
Less favourable - 54 per cent
No difference - 35 per cent
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
