PM and officials broke lockdown laws, says Sir John Major

Rarely has a former prime minister been quite so scathing about a successor – from his own party.

But Sir John Major has laid into Boris Johnson over partygate, claiming that ministers were sent out day after day “to defend the indefensible” –  “the truth has been optional”, he said.

Mr Johnson insisted it was “demonstrably untrue” that the scandal had damaged the UK’s reputation on the international stage.