Boris Johnson’s attempt to ignore questions about a No 10 party held during lockdown by urging people to wait for the outcome of the ongoing inquiry into “partygate” has failed to quell growing uproar about his conduct in his party, and in the country at large. While relatively few Tory MPs have criticised him in public, in private their mood is reportedly more unforgiving and Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, has said that if Johnson did attend the lockdown-busting event (as witnesses say he did), while ministers were telling the public that gatherings of this kind were banned, that would be “utterly despicable”. (See 4.38pm.) Ross said Johnson must resign if he has broken the rules. Two polls suggest more than half of voters have already decided Johnson should quit. (See 3.57pm.) Michael Ellis, a junior Cabinet Office minister, spent almost 90 minutes in the Commons ducking questions about whether Johnson had attended the party, and having to listen to heartrending accounts of the anger felt by constituents who missed key moments with loved ones while No 10 staff were partying. (See 2.22pm.) There will now be intense focus on tomorrow’s PMQs, where Johnson’s performance may determine whether his MPs decide to push for his removal. The Metropolitan police have been accused of “deferring to the powerful” by not investigating Downing Street parties held in apparent breach of lockdown rules. Government MPs have voted down a Labour motion calling for VAT on household energy bills to be cut. In the past government MPs have often abstained on Labour motions they do not support, because normally opposition day motions are non-binding, but they felt obliged to vote down this one because the wording would have set aside time for the Commons to pass a bill cutting VAT. Only one Tory, Anne Marie Morris, voted with Labour. Labour has posted this on Twitter.
Restrictions on large outdoor events in Scotland will be lifted from next Monday, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed, as she told Holyrood that the latest Covid infection data indicated “we may be starting to turn a corner”. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.