Beleaguered Boris cancels trip to vaccine centre after family member catches Covid

13 January 2022, 09:30 | Updated: 13 January 2022, 10:15

Boris Johnson has cancelled a trip to a vaccine centre. Picture: Alamy

By Will Taylor

Under-fire Boris Johnson has cancelled a trip to a vaccine clinic after a member of his family tested positive for Covid.

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It means the embattled Prime Minister will not have to face more questions about him attending a "bring your own booze" do in the Downing Street garden.

Mr Johnson, who is fighting for his future at No10, will dodge the grilling despite not having to self-isolate under official guidance, which allows vaccinated contacts of coronavirus cases to continue their lives as normal.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister will no longer be visiting Lancashire today due to a family member testing positive for coronavirus.

"He will follow the guidance for vaccinated close contacts, including daily testing and limiting contact with others."

This follows his bid to cling on to the post of Prime Minister, as Scottish Tories called for him to quit over the partygate saga and cabinet members sluggishly moved to back him.

His chancellor, Rishi Sunak, was 200 miles away in Devon while Mr Johnson was grilled by MPs in a fiery House of Commons clash.

He was forced to break his silence on whether he attended the garden do in May 2020, to which his principal private secretary invited more than 100 people.

Mr Johnson was forced to issue a grovelling apology for attending for 25 minutes, but he insisted he believed it to be a work event.

But his appearance in the Commons did nothing to placate those furious at the PM.

As Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for him to resign, branding him a "pathetic spectacle of a man who has run out of road", and campaigners in the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice said Mr Johnson's "lies" had caught up with him, parts of the Conservative party broke into revolt.

Their leader, Douglas Ross, called on Mr Johnson to resign, as did Commons backbencher backbencher William Wragg.

Former minister Michael Portillo branded him "poisonous" when he spoke to LBC.

Cabinet members eventually rallied around the PM, though Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, who is widely tipped to run as a successor to Mr Johnson should he leave his role at party leader, was seen 200 miles away in Devon as his boss was grilled by MPs.