Wetherby MP will not defend the indefensible

Calls have been made nationally for Boris Johnson to resign after it emerged he has been fined for breaking lockdown rules in Downing Street in June 2020.

Mr Shelbrooke said now was not the right time for the Prime Minister to go and there were pressing issues which needed addressing.

“Since January, I’ve held my MP Street Surgeries across Wetherby and I’ve knocked on 95 per cent of front doors, so I know residents have been disappointed and angry at lockdown gatherings in Whitehall.

“I won’t defend the indefensible and I told the Prime Minister this to his face when he apologised for what happened.

“The biggest issue raised with me by constituents remains the rising cost of living - a result of the global pandemic and Putin’s abhorrent war on Ukraine. “Indulging in a three-to-four-month internal party leadership election now, which would destabilise markets further and give Putin the instability he desires, will not address these immediate issues.

“The Government needs to be focussed on the priorities of people here in Elmet & Rothwell as we tackle these new global pressures, and I intend to continue holding Ministers’ feet to that fire as a constituency MP.”

The Prime Minister, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the PM’s wife all received fixed penalty notices for attending a birthday gathering for the PM in No 10.

As a result, Mr Johnson became the UK’s first serving Prime Minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law.