Kemi Badenoch dismissed the furore over Partygate, describing the scandal as "overblown" in her first television interview as the new Tory leader on Sunday, 3 November.
The MP for North West Essex criticised the then-government for fining people for what she described as "everyday activities" during coronavirus lockdowns.
She declined to be drawn into a “post-mortem” of the previous government but said there had been “serious issues” under Boris Johnson’s premiership — though she added that the Partygate scandal was not one of them.
Partygate saw Mr Johnson fined for attending a party in Downing Street, one of several that took place under his tenure in breach of Covid lockdown regulations.
