Tories call on Starmer to correct record over partygate ‘conviction’ claim

Boris Johnson accused Sir Keir Starmer of misleading Parliament in a row over the former prime minister’s partygate fine.

Sir Keir and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch clashed at Prime Minister’s Questions over Louise Haigh’s resignation as transport secretary, which was linked to a fraud conviction.

“The country needs conviction politicians, not politicians with convictions,” Mrs Badenoch said.

But the Prime Minister said: “I gently remind her that two of her predecessors had convictions for breaking the Covid rules.”

Mr Johnson and the then-chancellor Rishi Sunak were both issued with fixed-penalty notices for breaking Covid-19 laws in No 10.

Fixed-penalty notices are not criminal convictions and Mr Johnson said: “The Prime Minister has clearly misled the House and should correct the record today.”

A spokesman for Mrs Badenoch said: “It’s quite important to point out that fixed-penalty notices are not criminal convictions.”

Tory frontbencher Luke Evans also called for the Prime Minister to correct the record, saying:  “You would have thought that Keir Starmer as the former director of public prosecutions might know a fixed-penalty notice is not a conviction.”

But a Labour source said: “If the Conservatives want to have a row about the extent of their criminality while in office, that’s fine by us.”