Nigel Farage has branded Boris Johnson as the "leader is not in charge of his own house", after the first tranche of fines from the Met police over the Downing Street lockdown parties were dolled out today.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, London, to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament.
Aaron Chown
Number 10 has said that the Prime Minister will confirm whether he has received a fixed penalty notice for his role in the lockdown-defying gatherings. So far, 20 have been initiated.
The PM is not thought to be among those set to receive a fine at this stage, as he is contesting the allegations and took advice from his personal lawyer on how to respond.
Nigel Farage said he thinks Mr Johnson may have "got lucky" and wonders whether "the Met will really issue the Prime Minister with a fixed penalty notice."
It is expected that further fixed penalty notices could surface as officers continue to go through the evidence gathered.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Hannah Mckay
The force is investigating 12 events, including as many as six Mr Johnson is said to have attended.
The PM came under intense pressure to quit as a result of partygate, but in recent weeks the war in Ukraine has seen Conservative MPs rally round their leader.
Mr Farage said: "Had 20 fixed penalty fines been issued prior to the Ukrainian war I think things would have been very different."
However, the Met’s intervention, confirming it believes laws were broken at the heart of Government, is likely to reignite the debate about the Johnson premiership.
Boris Johnson who has been accused of misleading Parliament over the partygate scandal, was called upon by some in his own party to resign.
Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, handed in a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson and Christian Wakeford defected to the Labour Party in response to the allegations against the PM.
Mr Farage said on whether the PM misled parliament: "if it's the absolute truth you want then Boris Johnson is not your man, he never was."
