Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns has said there is “no question” of Boris Johnson standing down over the partygate row.
Mr Johnson is facing growing calls from some Tory MPs to stand down after MPs decided on Thursday that he should face a new investigation into whether he misled Parliament.
However, Bournemouth West MP Mr Burns told Sky News: “There is no question of the Prime Minister going”.
Read more: Bournemouth MP on 'extraordinary 24 hours in parliament'
He said Mr Johnson was confident that he would be cleared once the full facts were made public.
“He remains confident that when people can see the full context of what happened it will be clear that he was straightforward, he said to the House in good faith that he believed the rules were followed.
"I do not believe the PM has lied".
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 22, 2022
When the investigations into #partygate have completed, it will be 'clear that every time Boris Johnson went to parliament, he was faithful and genuine and true in what he believed', says NI Minister Conor Burns.https://t.co/2LuLjm8n7Q pic.twitter.com/GisU0a18OT
“He is looking forward to this ending. He is looking forward to drawing this to a conclusion, for it to be examined fully so that we can move on to the things people are genuinely concerned about.”
Mr Burns also said he did not accept the Prime Minister has misled Parliament, adding: "I do not believe the Prime Minister has lied."
It comes as the Prime Minister is braced for further questions about what he knew about alleged lockdown parties in No 10 after MPs ordered a third investigation into the partygate affair.
Boris Johnson will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday as his tour of India continues.
An extraordinary 24 hours in Parliament.
— Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) April 21, 2022
It’s time to stop drinking the Kool-Aid.
Following the bilateral, he will face a press conference during which he is likely to be asked for his response to the Commons agreeing to instigate a probe into whether he lied to Parliament.
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