Winning War On Covid, Fixed Brexit... Don't Blow It Now PM!

Sort it out or step aside PM, says donor

- Macer Hall

Boris Johnson will today try to calm the “partygate” storm dominating the political agenda.

The Prime Minister is under intense pressure after revelations of an aide’s “bring your own booze” invite to No 10 staff when gatherings were banned.

But support for the PM is still strong within the Conservative Party after delivering Brexit and winning the war against Covid, it was said.

Mr Johnson has been pressed to make clear whether he attended a boozy gathering in the Downing Street garden while lockdown restrictions were in force.

Senior Tories are desperate to refocus the Government on the Covid recovery amid expert predictions the UK is the closest of any country in the northern hemisphere to exiting the pandemic.

But several Tories yesterday joined the chorus of critics urging him to clarify the lockdown party position, without waiting for the result of a Cabinet Office inquiry into the allegations.

And a snap opinion poll by Savanta ComRes suggested the row was seriously damaging his authority, with two-thirds of voters wanting him to quit.

Mr Johnson and his aides were last night thought to be working on a strategy to take the heat out of the row when he faces Prime Minister’s Questions today.

And one minister insisted: “The Prime Minister is going nowhere.”

But anger intensified yesterday after a Downing Street official confirmed that the PM’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds is staying in his role, despite sending an email inviting more than 100 people to “socially distanced drinks” in the No 10 garden.