Boris Johnson: Southampton MP Royston Smith speaks on lockdown parties

The Prime Minister has faced repeated calls to resign, including from his own MPs, amid the ongoing row over lockdown parties in Downing Street.

But Conservative Royston Smith, who represents the city's Itchen constituency, has scathingly hit back at the city's Green Party members who are asking him to stop "defending the indefensible".

In a statement, John Spottiswoode, from Southampton and District Green Party, told Mr Smith: "For the good of the country Johnson must go, and I find it deeply worrying that Royston Smith appears to be placing a misguided party loyalty ahead of the interests of Southampton and the nation."

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen.

In response, the MP said: "I am concerned that the Green Party think it is appropriate to condemn someone without seeing the evidence. Goodness knows what this would mean to the adage, 'innocent until proven guilty' if they ever got their hands near the levers of power.

"The media and the opposition wanted a police enquiry, they now have one. I will wait for that enquiry to report before I pass judgement.

"I will leave it to others to explain why they believe the Prime Minister should go, regardless of what the police enquiry uncovers. What I have absolutely no intention of doing is taking advice from the Green Party who now appear to believe natural justice no longer applies."

Caroline Nokes, Tory MP for Southampton North and Romsey, has called for the Prime Minister to resign.

Senior civil servant Sue Gray's report into the lockdown parties identified "failures of leadership and judgment" in Downing Street, but is yet to be published in full as police investigations continue.

“Boris Johnson’s desperate attempts to cling onto power are making a mockery of our democracy," added Mr Spottiswoode.

"The vast majority of people now think he should resign because of his shameful behaviour, and yet our local MP Royston Smith is still trying to defend the indefensible.

"Boris Johnson’s failure of leadership is not only damaging trust in public health measures, but he is also allowing other very urgent issues that are spiralling out of control, including the cost of living, potential war in Ukraine, and the climate crisis.

"The failure of leadership goes alongside this government's apparent corruption in giving away contracts to friends and donors whilst also wasting billions giving money to companies without basic checks during the pandemic.

"We do not want this sort of behaviour to spread any further in the Conservative Party and potentially to Southampton City Council."