Filey MP backs Boris Johnson
Kevin Hollinrake doesn't think the Prime Minister broke the rules, nor lied to Parliament
Last updated 4th Feb 2022
Filey's MP says he is backing Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.
Kevin Hollinrake says he does not think the Prime Minister has broken the rules or lied to Parliament.
Sue Gray released her report into gatherings at Downing Street this week which prompted some of his own backbenchers to call for his resignation.
Kevin said:
"Yes I am supporting Boris Johnson because people in this country are innocent until proven guilty. The only thing we know is he went outside in his own garden for 25 minutes where some work colleagues were, OK they were drinking but that wasn't against the rules, and he attended the cutting of his birthday cake I think for 10 minutes in his workplace.
"But what you have to ask yourself is 'does that merit the resignation of a Prime Minister?' I don't think it does. You may think it does, other constituents may think it does, the media may think it does and the opposition of course think it does but at the moment, I don't think it does and that's my judgement.
"If this situation develops of course and there's something more serious than that, an actual party where he invited people from outside the workplace to come in, relatives or friends, or the fact that he misled Parliament then that's a completely different issue. But that's not what he's been proven guilty of so far.
"It's just not true. If you're going to tell me that workplaces around this country on somebody's birthday didn't have a birthday cake, having a piece of cake was not against the rules. Having a glass was not against the rules. I think what the Prime Minister said in that dispatch box that no rules were broken, I don't think he was misleading Parliament at that time.
"We're all independent thinkers in this place. I don't come in here to suck up to the Prime Minister I'm here to try and do a good job for my constituents. I have nothing to lose by calling for the Prime Minister's resignation. I don't have a ministerial job to lose. I've voted against the Government before, twice in the last few weeks."
Kevin Hollinrake's been speaking to Greatest Hits Radio's Jon Burke:
We have also asked to speak to the MPs for Scarborough and Whitby, Sir Robert Goodwill, and Sir Greg Knight, who represents Bridlington, but they have not responded.
However, Mr Goodwill has sent us a statement.
In it, he said:
"The Prime Minister responded to the Gray report this week. This only directly related to 4 events in Downing Street or the Cabinet Office. Twelve other events are being looked into by the Metropolitan Police which may lead to fixed penalty fines or other sanctions being imposed. We will have to wait until these investigations are concluded before I can comment further.
"I have had quite a number of emails expressing irritation the whilst the rest of us were complying with the rules during lockdown events were being held in number ten which, despite being a workplace, appeared to be mainly social in nature.
"I know that many people were separated from loved ones, cancelled weddings or were unable to attend funerals during lockdown and that was tough for us all.
"The rules must apply to everyone in this situation."
Here's a statement from the office of Sir Greg Knight:
"Although it is the case that a report has been published, this is only an interim one. The inquiries into the matter are not finalised becauses the police, having said previously they would not investigate the allegations, have now changed their mind and are now doing so.
"Sir Greg and the vast majority of Conservative MPs are therefore still awaiting the final outcome of the inquiry into these matters.
"As investigations are still ongoing, he feels it is judicious to await the outcome of the inquiries rather than passing judgement or comment when only part of the circumstances have been reviewed."