Sue Gray: Boris Johnson focused on saving his own skin, says Keir Starmer

Boris Johnson is focused on "saving his own skin" rather than key issues, after findings into No 10 lockdown parties were published, Sir Keir Starmer says.

The update delivered by Sue Gray blamed a "failure of leadership" for rule breaking in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson met Tory MPs on Monday to reassure them about his premiership and to promise a shake-up in No 10.

A number of MPs have said they are waiting for Ms Gray's full report to decide on the PM's leadership.

But the issue was not raised at Tuesday morning's cabinet meeting, with Mr Johnson's spokesman saying ministers were "focused on the situation in Ukraine and the domestic priority of levelling up".

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Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab defended his boss, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme he had "expressed contrition for his overall responsibility", and had a plan to fix the running of No 10.

But fellow Tory MP Andrew Mitchell told the same programme the PM was running government like a "medieval court", and he was doing "great damage" to his party.

Meanwhile, Tory peer and former minister Lord Duncan called for Mr Johnson to resign and stand for re-election if he wants to remain in office.

He told the Daily Record the PM should "put himself before the people who put him there in the first place" to "break the deadlock" over the parties.

And former Tory leader, William Hague, said Mr Johnson had "failed to grasp the opportunity to make a fresh start", writing in the Times that the PM "should be worried by the reaction of his own MPs".

Metropolitan Police officers are looking into 12 events for alleged breaches of lockdown rules, including three the PM reportedly attended and one in his flat.

Reports said his wife, Carrie Johnson, hosted the event in their Downing Street home, an event Mrs Johnson's spokesperson previously denied happened.

In her partial report, released on Monday, senior civil servant Ms Gray said she had been "extremely limited" by the police investigation in how much she could say, so a "meaningful" report could not be released yet.

She will publish an updated report on lockdown parties in No 10 once police finish their inquiries, Downing Street has said.

'Plan of action'

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Sir Keir said the Mr Johnson had become distracted by trying to save his own premiership.

He said: "So many people are worried about issues such as their energy bills, which are going through the roof, and the prime minister is spending all of his time saving his own skin.

"We now know that he had a meeting planned with the chancellor last week to discuss energy bills, but that was cancelled because he was having meetings to save his own job."

But Mr Raab insisted the government was "getting on with the job", despite the ongoing investigation.

"[The PM] recognised that, as Sue Gray said, the standards expected in No 10 were not as they should have been," he told Today.

"He said he did take responsibility and he apologised, and he provided a plan of action.

"But if you look at the big judgement calls... the prime minister has got these right. This government has got a plan."

Asked if Mr Johnson had admitted to breaking any of the rules himself, Mr Raab said: "The prime minister has been very clear that he acted in good faith at all times."

It was only 12 pages, but there was one very damaging and difficult conclusion in the terse summary of Sue Gray's report.

It is there now in black and white for all to see - there was rule breaking at the top of government when the country was living through lockdown.

The prime minister's original claim that all the guidelines were followed seems almost farcical now.

Downing Street's early dismissals of the claims, even some of Mr Johnson's allies admit, now seem ill-advised. The Tory leader was savaged in the Commons, including by some of his own side, the disbelief and despair led by the former occupant of his address.

The publication, however, has not toppled over an overwhelming set of dominoes.

There are Conservative MPs who are incandescent. There is also a band of loyalists determined to help him stay on, almost whatever happens next.

Read more analysis here.

On Monday in the Commons, some of the PM's backbenchers expressed support for him - but others issued stinging rebukes in light of the findings.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May asked if he had read or understood the Covid rules created by his government, or whether he "believed they did not apply" to No 10, while ex-cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell said the PM no longer had his support.

Speaking to Today on Tuesday, Mr Mitchell warned the issue of parties was "a crisis that is not going to go away and is doing very great damage to the party", saying: "It is more corrosive in my judgement than the expenses scandal was and it will break the coalition that is the Conservative Party."

The former government whip also criticised the PM's running of No 10, telling the BBC: "I think the problem is that Boris [Johnson] is running a modern government like a medieval court.

"Many of us thought he would govern in the way he did when he was Mayor Of London, through being a chairman of a board, running a very good team - that is not what has happened here."

Fellow Tory MP Maria Miller said the PM had announced "significant and overdue changes" to the running of Downing Street in light of Ms Gray's report, and he had "rightly apologised to the nation".

But in a statement on her website, the former minister issued a warning, saying: "People made extraordinary sacrifices throughout the pandemic, and it is crucial that anyone who broke the rules is subject to the sanctions agreed by Parliament."

However, a Tory councillor, Charlie Edwards, claimed there were "much more important things to worry about" than the parties, telling BBC Radio Lancashire: "In the middle of an unprecedented pandemic, every single person you speak to will have broken a rule in some way."

Staff shake-up

Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed the "mood was positive" in the party after Mr Johnson addressed Conservative backbench MPs on Monday evening.

In that meeting, the prime minister promised he would make changes to his political operation, perhaps later this week.

This is expected to include the departure of some back room staff, and possibly a new chief whip to replace Mark Spencer, with some limited ministerial moves, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said.

No 10 has also indicated that it will support the formation of new policy groups of backbenchers to feed views more directly into government.

Mr Johnson also told MPs that the Australian pollster, Lynton Crosby, would be making a return to the operation. There is no detail from Downing Street on what his role will be.