Naomi Long

Mr Johnson yesterday became the first sitting prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law, having received a fixed penalty notice for attending a birthday gathering in Downing Street in June 2020, when such gatherings were banned to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Mr Johnson’s wife also received fixed penalty notices in relation to the gathering, which marked Mr Johnson’s 56th birthday.

Speaking to Irish Legal News yesterday, Mrs Long said Mr Johnson’s position was no longer tenable “not just because he’s broken the law, but because he lied to Parliament about having broken the law”.

She said: “It is inconceivable that anyone would not know whether or not they’re at a party. I just cannot wrap my head around that nonsense.

“I think that kind of obfuscation, that playing with language, that treating the law like it applies to others but not to you – it fundamentally undermines the rule of law in our society and the culture of lawfulness that I think is really important.

“We know that these were particular laws for a particular time, but they were there for a reason. I think, as a government, if you’re going to introduce what were pretty draconian laws that we all had to follow during that period, then the very least you have to do is show your willingness to abide by them yourself.

“I think that he has not just undermined his own credibility, which was already fairly low, but he is actually doing damage, the longer he stays, to the credibility of the office of prime minister. The very least you would expect of your prime minister is that they would take the law seriously and respect it.”

Mrs Long, who is also leader of Northern Ireland’s Alliance Party, made the comments in an exclusive interview with Irish Legal News which will be published next week.