Some of Suffolk's Conservative MPs have supported the Prime Minister and Chancellor after they were served fixed penalty notices for breaking lockdown regulations in Downing Street in June 2020.

On Tuesday afternoon, after the news about the penalty notices was made public, we tried to contact all the county's MPs but they were unavailable or did not respond to our calls.

However, on Tuesday evening Ipswich MP Tom Hunt, Suffolk Coastal MP and Work and Pensions Secretary Dr Therese Coffey and West Suffolk MP and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock all tweeted their support for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

And on Wednesday South Suffolk MP and Junior Justice Minister James Cartlidge issued a statement supporting them.

Mr Hunt's tweet referenced the resignation of Neville Chamberlain at the start of the Second World War.

Dr Coffey said:

And Mr Hancock said:

Mr Cartlidge said: "On the matter of Fixed Penalty Notices issued to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, I recognise why there is such strength of feeling, and it is important that both senior members of the Government have made the most fulsome apologies.

"As I have publicly acknowledged the most particular sense of anguish and anger will be felt by those who were bereaved in the pandemic and, as a result of Covid rules, were denied or restricted time with loved ones in their hour of need. I entirely understand that.

"Nevertheless, if we are talking about so important a decision as the leadership of a democratically elected Prime Minister, we must weigh up both sides of the ledger and take a balanced view.

"Set against the above, and given the Covid context, I would particularly stress that – in my view – the Prime Minister got the big calls right, not least on the vaccine. With different leadership and different choices, we may have spent even longer in lockdown."

He added: "We have a current context in which a change of leadership would be counter to the national interest. We face a grave military threat from a nation with the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.

"This is no minor matter. As such, whilst it pains me to reflect on how those families of the bereaved will feel about the latest developments, equally, it was with enormous pride that I watched footage of the Prime Minister walking the streets of a free Kyiv with President Zelenskyy.

"It must be clear for all to see that the Prime Minister has been the pivotal western leader in terms of galvanising the coalition of nations against Putin, and as far as leading efforts to directly support Ukraine are concerned."

Mr Hunt tweeted his support for the Prime Minister saying: "Whatever one thinks about partygate, PM big judgment calls on current war have been okay."

Dr Coffey's tweet said: "As he said then, he is sorry and made recommended changes. It is important for the country that he & the Chancellor get on with the job the country elected them to do."

And Mr Hancock said: "The PM & Chancellor got the big calls right during the pandemic & are now leading the fight against Putin's illegal war in Ukraine.

"They have rightly apologised. We must now move forwards & get on with delivering for people."