Boris Johnson’s sister has claimed he followed all Covid rules “in his personal life” since the beginning of the pandemic.

       The prime minister has been under huge pressure following claims of social gatherings held at Downing Street, Conservative HQ and government departments while strict curbs were in place last year.

       Defending her brother, columnist and commentator Rachel Johnson said he had “dotted every ‘i’ and he crossed every ‘t’” when it came to restrictions with his own family.

       “Because he is my brother I have had to see him over the course of lockdown and I have to say every time I’ve seen him … if it was rule of six, he said, ‘We can only be six whenever we are’,” she told LBC.

       The prime minister’s sister added: “He dotted every ‘i’ and he crossed every ‘t’ – I promise he did.”

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       Ms Johnson added that she did not think rule breaking was “going on in his personal life”, adding: “What was going on under his watch looked really bad.”

       Earlier this week the prime minister defended a photo of himself and staff with cheese and wine in the No 10 garden at a time of strict curbs on social gatherings last May. “Those were people at work, talking about work,” he said.

       The scale of damage done to the PM’s credibility on Covid by a series of revelations about gatherings and after-work drinks at No 10 last year was laid bare by Savanta’s latest survey for The Independent.

       Almost three in 10 (28 per cent) also said that they are less likely to follow Covid rules as a result of reports of Christmas parties at Downing Street.

       Meanwhile, the latest Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll found that majority of Tory voters at the last general election want Mr Johnson replaced as party leader and prime minister next year.

       Some 53 per cent of Tory voters from the 2019 election victory want him ousted, according to the poll for the MailOnline. It found that 27 per cent in favour of a change at No 10, and another 26 per cent “strongly” in favour of the idea.

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       The PM has seen his personal ratings plummet and his party have lost their poll lead to Labour following the Owen Paterson scandal, claims of government gatherings held last year’s Covid curbs, and remaining questions over the funding of Mr Johnson’s flat.

       It emerged earlier this week that the Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over a complaint suggesting its handling of allegations of a party at Downing Street last Christmas could amount to “aiding and abetting a criminal offence”.