Boris Johnson lost his temper today as he dismissed questions about Partygate during a visit to India and insisted he had “absolutely nothing to hide”.
As Sky News interviewer Beth Rigby made a series of inquiries about parties disrupting the blockade of Downing Street 10, an increasingly irritable prime minister looked at his watch and told her, “I want to talk about the meaning of this trip … Ask me I have questions with the trip. ”
The interview sparked a debate over how many minutes had been devoted to the scandal rather than Mr Johnson’s trade agenda, with Sky’s political editor protesting that she had not spent as long at Partygate as the BBC, and the prime minister replied : “This is not a competition. Move on to the topic of the trip. ”
The prime minister spoke shortly after rejecting a proposal to throw in the long grass a new municipal inquiry into whether he had disrespected parliament by lying about violations of the Covid Act on Downing Street 10.
With the controversy over parties threatening to overshadow an important trade visit to India, Mr Johnson expressed his disappointment in an interview with Sky News, repeatedly urging Ms Rigby to ask him about trade agreements reached on the first day of the visit, and for his plans to push for a free trade agreement in talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
Mr Johnson is facing a possible investigation by the Municipal Privileges Committee after rejecting an amendment aimed at postponing a vote on the issue until the police investigation is completed and a report by senior civil servant Sue Gray is published.
But he insisted he was not trying to escape control, and denied rejecting his amendment for fear of a major riot in Tory’s angry seats.
“What I have decided is that if the opposition wants to focus on that, that is good,” he said.
“I think it’s very important that no one says we’re trying to avoid control. I don’t want to avoid control. “
He added: “People said it was like trying to stop things from coming out. I didn’t want that. I don’t want people to say that.
“I do not know how to continue this thing indefinitely. I have absolutely nothing to hide. “
Responding to a call from renowned Tory player Steve Baker to leave because “the concert is over”, Mr Johnson said he did not believe the resignation was “the right thing to do”.
“I understand people’s feelings, but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We have to wait for the report to conclude, maybe then I can say more. In the meantime, what I would like to do is to lead the country forward, to deal with the immediate problems we are facing. “
As Ms. Rigby continued to push him for the prospect of new fines, the prime minister told her that “you will have to wait” and then “ask me questions about the trip.”
His interviewer protested that she was given only a few minutes with Mr Johnson, while the BBC was given seven, winning the answer: “This is not a race. Move on to the topic of the trip. ”
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