1) Still some ambiguity. PM repeatedly says he wasn’t warned that it was against the rules/wasn’t work event. Does that mean he wasn’t warned/advised against it at all, in any sense? 2) Q PM will have to answer is why he had to be warned, wasn’t it obvious?
2 continued) not least because PM was the man proselytising those rules to the nation at the time and his staff, also at this event, were those supporting his doing so.
as I say, PM says specifically that no-one warned him it was against the rules/was non work event (or some variation thereof) repeatedly. Beth asks if there was ever a more general warning (or some variation thereof) and PM says the same thing.
PM’s defence seems to be to say that because it was going ahead he “implicitly believed” event to be a work event and ergo within guidance
2 problems
1) Credibiliy: could PM have seen the event, with so many people, tables etc and not concluded (as he now says he wished...)
...he had) that he should have shut it down? In any case being a “work event” isn’t exculpatory as wasn’t in rules at time- it would have had to be an event necessary for work, which this wasn’t.
2) if it could be shown (as some claim) that PM was warned in any sense...
... about it would be hard to sustain notion PM “implicitly believed” it was work event and compliant. If you implicitly believe something it’s as if it is unquestioned. If it has been questioned can it really said to be implicit? And implicitly believing is what PM told...
...the House.
So difficulty for PM is if SG were to conclude May 20th event was against rules there are really only two conclusions. PM didn’t understand his own rules or PM was aware, and worse if warned about it, will be accused of ignoring them and misleading House.
All set up for another very important PMQs tomorrow...
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Wow-after what seemed like a decent PMQs David Davis essentially calls for Boris Johnson to resign, invoking Leo Amery to Chamberlain: "You have sat there too long for all the good you have done, in the name of God, go."
Full David Davis quote: "I've spent weeks and months defending the PM...but I expect my leaders to shoulder the responsibility for the actions they take. Yesterday he did the opposite of that...You have sat there too long for all the good you have done, in the name of God, go."
PM says he's not familiar with the famous quote DD has deployed, seems surprising given the PM is a biographer of Churchill.
A Conservative MP texts: “In terms of the management of this crisis and opinion with colleagues, the interview with @BethRigby today was a complete disaster.”
David Davis to @BBCcarolynquinn: “His comments yesterday that ‘I wasn’t told’- I’m afraid that isn’t what I was expecting from a leader...I expect leadership. Leadership means shouldering responsibility and he didn’t do it. Yesterday’s interview was an attempt to escape rbility.”
Email from Birmingham Northfield MP (a 2019er) @GarySambrook89 to a constituent about the PM. Says he “would expect anyone who is found to have broken the law to seriously consider their position in the Government and that includes the Prime Minister.”
Another email to a constituent, this time from @kevinhollinrake. Says “There is a requirement within the [ministerial code] that any significant breach would necessitate the rendering of a resignation, and this of course applies to the Prime Minister.”
Constituent letter from Levelling Up minister @NeilDotObrien not exactly a ringing endorsement of BJ: “I would like to assure you I have read the emails on this and understand the strength of feeling here and will be paying close attention to the report and response of the PM.”
NEW: PM denies he was warned about May 20th party- "No, nobody told me that what we were doing was against the rules, the event in question was something that wasn't a work event...When I went out into that garden I thought I was attending a work event."
@BethRigby: "To be clear you're saying Cummings is lying and his version of events is untrue?"
PM:"I can tell you categorically that nobody told me and nobody said that this was sthing that was against the rules or a breach of covid rules or something that wasn't a work event.."
PM:.."because frankly I can't imagine why it would have gone ahead or been allowed to go ahead. My memory, as I've said is going out into the garden for 25 minutes for what I implicitly thought was a work event and talking to staff, thanking staff..."
Andrew Bridgen on the “red meat” strategy: “I find it a little bit patronising. It’s a bit like offering sweets to placate children that you already had in your pocket and you’ve already promised. Most of this was in our manifesto and should have been doing anyway.” #newsnight
Bridgen says Sue Gray should interview Dominic Cummings about his claims.
Peter Bone says that he went canvassing in his constituency at the weekend: “I thought my goodness me I’m going to have a terrible reception on the doorstep. But no, they were wholly supportive of the Prime Minister.” #Newsnight
The obvious striking thing about the polls recently is the size of Labour’s leads. The other less immediately obvious thing is how big the Lab+Green share now is: in this latest poll together they’re at 50%.
The Venn diagram between Labour and Green isn’t entirely shaded. There are some southern areas the Greens attract some votes from the Tories, especially on planning etc. But generally they’re more Labour inclined or non-Conservative if push comes to shove.
Worth noting Conservatives had already suffered in polls before the party story. They’ve in fact been slowly declining since last summer, with especially sharp drop offs in December and since the turn of the year.
Labour lead largest lead for any party with R&W since May 2020