Maria Caulfield’s defence of Boris Johnson was laughed out of the house on Question Time last night.
The Tory MP came out to bat for the prime minister after the police issued Fixed Penalty Notices to members of his team.
Yesterday a second Cabinet minister was forced to admit that the issuing of 20 fines over the Partygate scandal meant lockdown laws were broken in Whitehall – despite Johnson’s refusal to accept they were.
International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the Metropolitan Police’s decision to issue the fines meant criminality had been discovered, echoing the view of Dominic Raab.
Defending the PM on BBC QT, Caulfield struggled to convince the audience that her boss hadn’t knowingly misled parliament.
Here’s what she had to say:
Related: Economists voice surprise at lack of support for poorest families from Sunak
