Responding to the Privileges Committee Report, which found that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament around lockdown rule breaking, Catherine commented:

“While families in Newcastle North and across the country dutifully followed the rules, unable to visit loved ones, missing funerals, weddings and births, we know now from the Police, the Sue Gray report and now the Privileges Committee, that there were repeated breaches of the rules at the heart of Government involving both the former and current Prime Minister, and many of their aides and friends. Shockingly some now receiving honours.

“That Boris Johnson has chosen to stand down rather than face the consequences of his actions shows his contempt for Parliament and for the British people. The recommendations of the Privileges Committee, which is a well-respected cross-party Committee, with a majority of Conservatives MPs are rightly damming.

“Once again, we are seeing that rather than face up to his actions however, the former Prime Minister is intent of trying to undermine and delegitimise the Committee through a campaign of abuse and intimidation.

“Over a number of years, successive Conservative Prime Ministers have allowed an erosion of standards in public life, whether this is rewarding cronies with honours, ignoring the findings of their own advisers on standards or seeking to protect Ministers and MPs where wrongdoing has been found.

“Rather than waiving through Boris Johnson’s honours list and the by-elections, it is time that the Prime Minister called a General Election and gave the people a say over the direction of the country, with a Labour Government that will act on the issues that matter to people and restore faith in the standards in public life”.