Scarborough and Whitby MP backs Prime Minister despite anger over alleged Christmas party
Robert Goodwill says he still supports Boris Johnson, despite the resignation of Government advisor Allegra Stratton over a leaked video.
"It's certainly a distraction we don't need. It's not just the pandemic - we've got Russian troops massing on the border with Ukraine; we've got all sorts of political problems; human rights in China and a refugee crisis. I hope we can get to the bottom of what took place.
"Initially when I was contacted by the press I was asked 'were you invited to this party? Was the Prime Minister at this party?' The Prime Minister wasn't at the party and wasn't aware the party was going on. I think they tried to mislead him; he asked about it and said 'no rules were broken' then as more evidence came about it became apparent that rules maybe were broken.
"The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to investigate, and if laws were broken they'll refer that to the Metropolitan Police. I've not heard of any of these so-called parties where MPs were there. If it was a party it wasn't within the rules and shouldn't have happened.
"Meanwhile myself, my family and the vast majority of my constituents were working very hard to comply with the rules. We weren't able to visit relatives or have the Christmas that we hoped to have. It's very frustrating and annoying that it appears some people working in Government departments completely ignored the rules, if true".
Government spokeswoman Allegra Stratton resigned after she was seen joking in a video with Downing Street staff about a lockdown party at Number 10.
The recording was taken on 22 December 2020, just four days after the event is alleged to have taken place.
Responding to the leaked video, Mr Goodwill said:
"It's not acceptable. She (Allegra Stratton) has resigned, and it would have been nice had people been allowed to visit relatives around Christmas. I'm as angry and annoyed as anyone else.
"Downing Street is a big open plan office with lots of rooms, and is a large department where dozens of people work - it's not like someone having a party in your house whilst you're away. As a father of children who are no longer teenagers I can well recall going away for the weekend and discovering things that showed there had been a party whilst we weren't there.
"Anyone with children of teenage years will understand it is quite possible for them to have a party in a house without others knowing what is going on".
Responding to the Plan B restrictions and whether people will still comply with the rules, Mr Goodwill said:
"Most of the people at these events were civil servants and not politicians, as I understand. However, it's vital we stick to the rules - this isn't to protect the Government, it's to protect yourselves.
"These new rules aren't too onerous in my view, such as wearing a mask in a theatre or cinema. The one area that will see some changes are nightclubs, and I understand they've had a tough time of it. However, you can still produce a lateral flow test if you don't want to show your vaccination status.
"Although we've had these media reports and this situation that is not acceptable, we've got Brexit done and rolled out one of the most successful vaccination programmes in the world. We have been successful in comparison to other countries.
"Boris Johnson is the right man to lead the party going forward, and the majority of the parliamentary party are behind him. The last thing that we need at this critical time is the distraction of a leadership election".