TV host Rylan Clark and former MP Edwina Currie knock heads over Partygate fines

TV presenter Rylan Clark has clashed with former Tory MP Edwina Currie over the Prime Minister’s refusal to resign over the Downing Street parties.

Both Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have apologised after receiving fixed penalty notices for attending a birthday gathering for the PM in June 2020 in breach of Covid rules.

However, both have said they will not step down.

Clark, the host of Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two, was among those criticising the PM for his response online.

On Wednesday, he tweeted: “He’s officially broke the law. That’s it ain’t it?”

Currie, who was MP for South Derbyshire between 1983 and 1997 and appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2014, hit back.

She wrote: “No, it isn’t. Shouldn’t have happened, but it’s done now. In case you hadn’t noticed, this all happened two years ago. Putin is laughing at us. Get real.”

Clark then replied: “I did not have @Edwina_Currie on my bingo card for this morning.

“Edwina, there’s a war, we’re living with Covid, there’s a lot going on publicly and personally. I’m aware when it was. Believe me I don’t need to ‘get real’ it’s a statement. Not an opinion. You stay well, as will I.”

In response, Currie tweeted: “Rylan, I haven’t a clue who you are, but at least, thank you for your courtesy. Don’t let Putin make fools of us all. Or any more corpses in Ukraine.”

Clark then send a “little reminder” to his 1.7 million followers.

He wrote: “Regardless of your upbringing, education, wealth or status, EVERYONE is entitled to talk about Politics as UK citizens.”

It comes after Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak apologised on Tuesday and confirmed they had paid the fines imposed by the Metropolitan Police.

Yet both resisted calls for their resignations and said they were keen to get on their jobs.

Children’s author Michael Rosen and Adam Kay, author of This Is Going To Hurt, were among the other famous names to criticise the PM over so-called Partygate.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP have all backed calls for the Commons to be recalled from its two-week Easter break to allow the Prime Minister to “tender his resignation” in person to MPs.