Sir Keir Starmer had to score in the contest with Mr Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions — and he did. The Labour leader was excoriating. 

He channelled the views of many, many voters when he raised the examples of citizens who had denied themselves visiting time with dying relatives due to Covid rules, while the Prime Minister enjoyed a boozy party in his back garden with scores of colleagues. 

Tom Harris sets out the ways Sir Keir delivered. 

Janet Daley warns that Mr Johnson’s sheepish apology was nowhere near enough. 

The view from the public appears similar. 

A teacher whose story was cited by Sir Keir today has called for Mr Johnson to resign. 

Hannah Brady’s 55-year-old father died of Covid, with his death certificate signed on the day of the party.

Ross tells PM to resign

The reaction from the Prime Minister’s own party has been as dire as the one from the opposition benches. 

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, has called for Mr Johnson to resign after failing to convince him in a phone call about why he attended the garden party. 

Mr Ross said he was “regretfully” calling for Mr Johnson to quit after they held a 15-minute conversation this afternoon, after Prime Minister’s Questions. 

Veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale said the Prime Minister is “politically a dead man walking” over his admission he attended the party.

The arch critic of the Prime Minister dismissed Mr Johnson’s attempt to apologise, saying it has “left people like me in an impossible situation”. 

Yet Eliot Wilson argues the worst has passed and that Mr Johnson will survive this.

PM bets on Partygate probe

Mr Johnson is a political gambler, and by tying his future to the findings of the official report into Downing Street parties, he has effectively bet his premiership on its outcome. 

Reminded by Sir Keir that ministers who are found to have misled Parliament are expected to resign, Mr Johnson replied that they should both wait for the report and: “I will certainly respond as appropriate.” 

It sounded like a commitment to stand down if Sue Gray, the woman chosen to investigate “Partygate”, finds that he lied to MPs. 

Gordon Rayner analyses how the Prime Minister’s fate now lies in her hands – and whether she would dare to pull the trigger.

Today’s other Covid headlines

Around the world: Putin ‘plotting Soviet Union 2.0’

Vladimir Putin is plotting to rebuild the “Soviet Union 2.0”, Lithuania’s foreign minister has said, before warning the US and Nato not to cut troop numbers in Eastern Europe. Gabrielius Landsbergis said the EU needed to be “more involved” and “offer solutions” to the crisis, prompted by fears of Russian invasion sparked by a build up of 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border. He also called on the EU to review its sanctions against Russia and Belarus to close loopholes and make sure they still had teeth. This map shows the instability on Russia’s borders.

Comment and analysis

Wednesday big-read

How Prince Andrew and New Labour opened the floodgates for Kazakh cash to flow into Britain