A LOCAL Conservative MP has defended the Prime Minister after photographs were released of Boris Johnson raising a glass at an alleged Downing Street party.

Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry added he is "fed up" of talking about Partygate, the scandal which has dogged Downing Street with dozens of fines handed out - including to Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Carrie Johnson, the Prime Minister's wife - over Covid law breaches at the heart of Government.

Numerous gatherings took place during lockdown in Government, and following the ending of the Met Police's investigation into the parties, Westminster is holding its breath for the publication of the Sue Gray report.

Jake Berry was speaking out after new images released by ITV on Monday showed show the Prime Minister ‘raising a drink’ with others surrounding him at a leaving party on November 13, 2020.

Numerous bottles of wine could be seen on a table in the room along with an iconic Government red briefcase.

At this time, rules only allowed two people from different households to mix indoors; but about six people can be seen in the photo.

Mr Berry, who previously served as the Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse before quitting Government after an attempt to shift him to the Foreign Office, was appearing on Talk TV when he discussed the latest chapter of Partygate.

He said while he understands why people are angry and that he doesn’t think that Boris Johnson did the right thing, in light of new photographs being released, he thinks that the apology that has been made was the "right thing to do".

Opposition parties, and some of his own MPS, have repeatedly called for Johnson - to resign over breaching the laws he himself wrote, and accused him of deliberately misleading Parliament.

In a post sharing a video of the interview on his social media, Jake Berry said: “Last night, I was on Tom Newton Dunn's new show 'The News Desk'.

“Inevitably, Partygate was a major topic of conversation. At this point, I don't know about you, but I am fed up of talking about Partygate.

“The Met Police have done their investigation and what the Government really need to do is focus on supporting people right now during this cost of living crisis.”

During his interview, Mr Berry said he will be applying "the same test as Sir Keir Starmer" and said he does not believe the Prime Minister has received a fixed penalty notice for the event photographed.

Labour leader Mr Starmer has promised to resign if a re-opened Durham Police investigation into him eating a takeaway curry following a day of campaigning finds he broke Covid laws.

Mr Berry added: “I understand that people are angry, and they are absolutely right to pick up on that.

"I don’t for one moment think the Prime Minister did the right thing in fact, he apologised which was laterally the right thing to do.”

Mr Berry also spoke about the death of his mother during the second lockdown and how they were unable to have her friends at the funeral.

He went on to say how the Prime Minister had made mistakes, had been issued with a fine and had apologised, saying that it was "the right thing to do".

The Met Police have now closed their investigation into party gate with a total of 126 fines handed out.