Over the past week, I have had many constituents write to ask my position on recent Downing Street Parties. A copy of this statement is below.

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At the most recent Prime Minister’s Questions, the Prime Minister made an apology and showed a tone of contrition and seriousness that deserves consideration. Plainly, he (and I and all my Parliamentary colleagues) understand the widespread public anger at apparent double standards. The sacrifices made by the whole nation in combatting this virus command their own respect and the anger communicated to me and my colleagues by many of our constituents reinforces this.

I have noticed, reinforced by personal conversations I’ve had with the Prime Minister over the last year, a seriousness of purpose that has yet to communicate itself to the public, it being drowned out by the focus on an image that reflects decades of an approach to politics that gave this remarkable politician the skillset to enable our country and my party to escape the seemingly impossible trap set by the result of the 2017 election following the 2016 Referendum.

His leadership continues to command my support. The substance of work for this Parliament, particularly around the Levelling Up agenda, defining values of Global Britain and the need to make the right economic judgements in a time of emergency unprecedented in my time of political and public service, still provide the opportunity for Conservatives to have been very proud to have been part of it. That opportunity was created by Boris Johnson. Further to this, his strategic judgements during the last two years on the response to the pandemic now look to be broadly correct.

The pain and burden the British people have endured and his near death from covid-19 appear to me to have produced a capacity for humility and seriousness in our Prime Minister, that combined with his other remarkable strengths and inevitably some balancing weaknesses leads me to a balanced judgement strongly in his support.

I do understand and respect that many people will disagree with this judgement today, but I offer it in all sincerity with the benefit of a quarter of a century of political and personal experience to draw on.