The lie’s the thing
Sir: Your leading article (‘Partygate’s hangover’, 2 April) maintains that if the Prime Minister receives a fixed penalty notice, he shouldn’t have to resign. No fair-minded person would disagree with this, for such a resignation would indeed be absurd. However, there is a more serious issue. The Prime Minister repeatedly assured the House of Commons that all Covid guidelines were followed in Downing Street. If it is found that he knowingly misled MPs with these claims, then the Ministerial Code is entirely clear: he would have to resign.
John Hatt
Firbank, Cumbria
Thatcher’s war
Sir: Charles Moore writes that if Margaret Thatcher had failed to retake the Falklands, she would probably have had to resign (Notes, 2 April). I believe he is right on that but I would add that her successor would probably have found it difficult to win the next general election. In addition, I think that if Argentina had not invaded the Falklands in the first place, she could well have lost the next general election, because the British victory helped to distract from any adverse effects of her economic policies.
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