AHEAD of Prime Minister’s Questions today, James Heappey MP said Boris Johnson "has my trust" and "confidence".

Mr Heappey, who represents Wells and is the minister for the armed forces, gave interviews to the media this morning about a range of topics, including gatherings reportedly held in Downing Street and Whitehall in 2020 while England was under lockdown restrictions.

The prime minister has faced calls for his resignation from some members of the Conservative Party, such as David Davis, Sir Roger Gale, and Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross, after he admitted attending an outdoor “bring your own booze” gathering in May 2020.

While Mr Heappey said he trusts the prime minister, he said he may “reflect” on his feelings if Sue Gray “comes out and says something different” after completing her inquiry into the gatherings.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Heappey said: “The prime minister has my trust, he has my confidence, he stood at the despatch box the other day and he gave an account of himself that I can understand and that I accept.

“If Sue Gray comes out and says something different, then we’re in a different place and I’m happy to come back and reflect on my feelings then.”

He added: “The ministerial care code is clear: The highest responsibility that any minister has is to be accurate in what they say to the House of Commons.

“That is the very foundation of our parliamentary democracy.”

The armed forces minister also said: “I choose to believe what he said, but there’ll be millions of your listeners who won’t.

“That’s why Sue Gray is doing her investigation.”

Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Heappey said he has received “well over” 500 emails about the alleged gatherings.

He said: “The overwhelming majority, at least nine in 10, if not 19 in 20, are absolutely furious and cannot understand how all of this has happened.

“I am angry too.

“But I take very seriously the ministerial code that we all sign up to and our responsibility when we stand up at the despatch box to be accurate in what we say, and the prime minister has stood up at the despatch box and set out his version of events and apologised profusely to the British public.”

He also told BBC Breakfast: “This doesn’t feel like the time to be changing prime minister to me.”

Mr Heappey also confirmed the UK will continue to bring Afghans to the UK "for as long as people who are eligible want to come", with troops who airlifted more than 15,000 people from the country set to receive a medal for their efforts.

He said the Ministry of Defence has continued to bring around 250 people a week out of Afghanistan, mostly through Pakistan, despite the winding down of Operation Pitting in August last year.

He said this will continue "indefinitely".

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