‘The Boris Johnson we love’ - Birmingham MP throws support behind Prime Minister

Birmingham’s Northfield MP has thrown his support behind the Prime Minister despite the initial findings of Sue Gray’s report into lockdown parties at number 10 Downing Street which found “failures of leadership and judgment”.

The 12-page report makes clear that some of the government’s events over the lockdowns “should not have been allowed to take place”, while others “should not have been allowed to develop as they did”.

It said there were “failures of leadership” in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office.

Following the Prime Minister’s statement to the House of Commons, several Tory MPs have spoken out against their leader, including Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell, who announced he was withdrawing his support for the Prime Minister and even accused Mr Johnson of running the government like a ‘medieval court’.

What did Birmingham’s other Conservative MP say about partygate?

Posting on his Twitter account last night (January 31), Gary Sambrook, Northfield’s Conservative MP, said he still supports Mr Johnson and urged the government to ‘get on with the job’.

He said: “I’ve listened carefully to the Prime Minister today, the @BorisJohnson we love and who has delivered.

“He’s made promises on how he wants to change how he does things, how he wants to deliver for my constituents and the UK and I support him in doing that. Let’s get on with the job.”

What does the Sue Gray report say?

The report said: “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify.

“At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time.

“At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public.

“There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”

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