Inside Politics: Fine time for Johnson and Sunak

PM and chancellor refusing to resign after getting fines for breaking Covid laws, writes Matt Mathers

Both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister were issued with fines on Tuesday (Dan Kitwood/PA) (PA Wire)

Has Boris Johnson’s maxim of “having cake and eating it” finally come back to bite him? He, his wife Carrie and Rishi Sunak have received fines for attending a birthday gathering for the PM in the cabinet room during lockdown in June 2020. Johnson was on a diet of heavy contrition yesterday as he addressed the public to say sorry for his lawbreaking. Whether or not his apology is enough, in the long-term, to placate back bench Tories who had previously called for him to resign remains to be seen. It is they, ultimately, who will decide if the PM ends up eating the humblest of pie by leaving No 10 over the scandal.

Inside the bubble

Parliament is in recess.