Partygate: Mark Drakeford accuses Rishi Sunak of cowardice

Rishi Sunak said he did not want to "influence anyone" ahead of the Partygate vote

Rishi Sunak committed an "astonishing act of political cowardice" by staying away from Monday's Partygate vote, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

In the Senedd Mr Drakeford said it was an example of Mr Sunak's "political weakness".

MPs, in the prime minister's absence, backed a report on Monday night that found Boris Johnson deliberately misled the UK Parliament over Partygate.

The prime minister's spokesman has said he "respects" the result.

Mr Sunak was among the 225 Conservative MPs that did not take part in the vote. Seven voted against, while 118 voted for.

Five Welsh Conservatives - including current Welsh Secretary David Davies, two of his predecessors Simon Hart and Stephen Crabb, Fay Jones and Craig Williams - accepted the report.

The remaining eight Conservatives - including ex-Welsh secretaries David Jones and Alun Cairns - did not take part.

On her Facebook page Fay Jones, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, said it would have "been hard for me to look my constituents in the eye" had she abstained.

She said it was "deeply wrong to choose to prolong our internal dramas ahead of the issues which matter most to our constituents".

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The cross-party committee's report had found Mr Johnson committed repeated offences when he said Covid rules had been followed at No 10 at all times.

In his first Senedd appearance as Plaid Cymru leader at First Minister's Questions, Rhun ap Iorwerth said Welsh Conservatives that did not vote "effectively sided with Boris Johnson".

"You'd have thought that that was the least they could have done to try to get some redemption," he said.

Mark Drakeford accused Rishi Sunak of "political weakness".

Mr Drakeford replied: "It was an astonishing act of political cowardice that the prime minister of this country failed to back a report of an independent committee of the House of Commons charged with that investigation."

"The fact that the prime minister failed to support that committee is an astonishing example of his political weakness."

The BBC was told that the prime minister had "longstanding engagements" on Monday.

Mr Sunak was repeatedly asked by reporters on Monday how he would vote but did not answer the question directly.

He said the issue was "a matter for the House [of Commons], not for the government".

"That's an important distinction and that's why I wouldn't want to influence anyone in advance of that vote."