Boris Johnson is facing deepening peril over the Partygate scandal after a source said a fine had been issued for a second event attended by the prime minister, while senior Conservatives warned he could face a leadership challenge within weeks. As Johnson finished a two-day trade trip to India on Friday, a spokesperson said he had not received a new fine. Allies of Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, and Penny Mordaunt, a trade minister, were said by MPs to have renewed discreet preparations for a leadership contest. He vowed to fight on, insisting he would still be prime minister in six months’ time. Winding up his two-day trip to India, an exasperated Johnson was unable to escape fresh questions about the Partygate row.

Source: The Guardian April 22, 2022 21:04 UTC