The first ministerial resignation over partygate – could more follow?

We have just had the first ministerial resignation over partygate. David Wolfson, the justice minister in the Lords, has quit over the matter saying that he doesn’t believe that continuing to serve is inconsistent with his ‘ministerial and professional obligation to uphold the rule of law’.

Wolfson, who was a highly successful QC before becoming a peer and a minister in 2020, writes:

I regret that recent disclosures lead to the inevitable conclusion that there was repeated rule-breaking, and breaches of the criminal law in Downing Street. I have – again with considerable regret – come to the conclusion that the scale, content and nature of these breaches mean that it would be inconsistent with the rule of law for that conduct to pass with constitutional impunity.

This resignation will put more pressure on the law officers in government and others with legal briefs. It will also add to the sense of discomfort that many Tory MPs are wrestling with.