A BOURNEMOUTH MP described Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fine for partygate as “much more than speeding fines” and a “culture of ill-discipline”.

Tobias Ellwood, Bournemouth East MP, reiterated his call for Mr Johnson to hold a vote of confidence in the May elections in light of the fixed penalty notice he received for attending parties in Downing Street during the Covid lockdown.

Mr Ellwood told Sky News: “It’s a lack of leadership and focus during a time of national crisis that we were going through because of Covid.

“The consequence of that is an erosion of trust with the British people and damaging the party brand.

“All of us have to live with that and ask ourselves ‘what do we do about this’, recognising there are more fixed penalty notices to come.

“The next election is approaching and many of us, the huge concerns are we now have to defend this when we knock on the doors at the next elections.

“I would like to see the prime minister show leadership here, recognise the tensions across the party and if the local elections go badly, he himself offers to hold a vote of confidence.

“If we support it, he gets the support and we march on. If not, we go through what happens occasionally, because support for any prime minister is not unconditional, we go through the process of electing a new leader.”