Partygate revelations have pushed public trust to 'breaking point', Archbishop of York warns

Stephen Cottrell told BBC Radio 4 that the public has a right to expect “much better” from the Government but stopped short of calling on Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to resign over their recent fines.

“Boris Johnson and our Government need to look really long and hard at themselves because what has happened in recent months with the revelations about what has gone on in Downing Street has really tested the trust of British people to breaking point.

“I only took one funeral during lockdown but it was the saddest, hardest funeral I’ve ever taken in 40 years of ministry and to see people unable to hold and touch their loved ones. People have sacrificed a lot. Therefore we expect from those who lead us much better than this.

“Work must be done to rebuild trust in public life. It is up to individuals themselves and the Conservative Party to decide how they are going to respond to that.”

During his Easter sermon at York Minster, the Archbishop also made a reference to standards in public life as he urged the congregation to ask what sort of country they want to live in.

He said: “Do we want to be known for the robustness of our democracy, where those in public life live to the highest standards, and where we can trust those who lead us to behave with integrity and honour?”

It comes as Boris Johnson prepares to insist to MPs there are bigger issues to focus on than the Partygate saga.

Despite being fined by the Metropolitan Police for his birthday bash held in the Cabinet room in June 2020, while coronavirus restrictions were in place, the Prime Minister is expected to tell MPs on Tuesday that this should not be the focus of politicians.

Mr Johnson is reported to be preparing to make a statement in the Commons once MPs return to Westminster following the Easter recess.

The Times reported that Mr Johnson was set to focus on Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis, and a trip to India which will focus on defence and trade.

As well as addressing MPs in the Chamber, The Times reported Mr Johnson would speak to a meeting of the entire Conservative parliamentary party on Tuesday evening.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, is also expected to decide if to allow a vote on whether to refer Mr Johnson to the Privileges Committee – which would decide whether he had misled the House over his partygate explanations.

Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg indicated the defence Mr Johnson may reach for on Sunday.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend programme, he said: “I think that when you hear what happened on the party for which he has been fined, many people would think that they were in accordance with the rules, when they were meeting people they were with every day, who happened to wish them a happy birthday, because that was the day it was.

“I think that was a perfectly rational thing to believe. Now the police have decided otherwise and the police have an authority. But he wasn’t thinking something irrational or unreasonable, that that was within the rules.”

But Mr Johnson was also accused over the weekend of not only attending a leaving party for his former communications chief Lee Cain on November 13, 2020, but instigating the do.

Downing Street declined to comment.

On Sunday, crossbench peer and historian Peter Hennessey told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme that the country was in “the most severe constitutional crisis involving a prime minister that I can remember, and it goes to the heart of the character of the Prime Minister”.

Reading from his diary entry from Tuesday, when Mr Johnson apologised after receiving his partygate fine, Lord Hennessey said the PM had “shredded the ministerial code” and was “unworthy” of the Queen, “her Parliament, her people and her kingdom”.

Still reading from the entry, he added: “I cannot remember a day where I’ve been more fearful for the wellbeing of the constitution.”

However, Mr Rees-Mogg played down the “constitutional significance” of the ministerial code.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend programme, he said: “The ministerial code is not a legislative part of our constitution, it is a set of guidelines produced by the Prime Minister.”

He said that when Mr Johnson told MPs rules had been followed in No 10 during Covid restrictions: “I think that the Prime Minister spoke to Parliament in good faith.”

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.