Nadine Dorries says Nicola Sturgeon's job is only safe following her Covid-19 facemask breach because of her "anti-Brexit" stance and that unlike Boris Johnson she "isn't a successful leader".
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GB News, the Culture Secretary said: “It’s a different political set up, Nicola Sturgeon didn’t deliver Brexit…she isn’t a successful leader like Boris Johnson is."
The MP for Mid Bedfordshire told Dan Wootton: "It’s thanks to Boris Johnson that this country is completely free of restrictions unlike most of Europe and the rest of the world and including Scotland.
“So, she doesn’t have the same track record of success and therefore nobody really wants to remove Nicola sturgeon because she is very pro-EU and very anti-Brexit.”
Nadine Dorries speaking with GB News
GB News
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
PA
Ms Sturgeon has insisted there is a “very, very clear difference” between her face mask “error” and the apparent “serial culture of lawbreaking” at Downing Street lockdown parties.
The Scottish First Minister apologised after she was filmed not wearing a face covering while campaigning in a barbers shop in East Kilbride.
The incident took place before laws requiring face masks to be worn in indoor public places were lifted in Scotland on Monday, and the First Minister was spoken to by Police Scotland.
The SNP leader accepted she had “lapsed”, but said what she did was not “equivalent to what Boris Johnson is accused of”.
It came as the Prime Minister was fined last week, as part of the Metropolitan Police probe into Covid-19 breaches in Government, for attending his birthday party in the Cabinet Room in June 2020.
Dan asked Ms Dorries why the public were more focused on the Partygate row.
She replied: "I think it channels a lot of the post-pandemic emotion that people are experiencing, so I think the way it is being betrayed is not right.
"I think it’s important to say, that the word 'Partygate' is a misnomer. No.10 is an office building with an iconic front door and it is a workplace.
"Parties as far as I'm concerned, take place socially, this was people in their own workplace.
She added that the word "Partygate" is a "gimmick title" saying: "I think it's actually quite misleading."