Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said Boris Johnson is a “truthful man” but admitted his claim no lockdown rules were broken was untrue.
The Holyrood Conservative chief backed the prime minister after his partygate fine due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The prime minister, his wife and chancellor Rishi Sunak were all given fixed penalty notices for attending a birthday party held for him in June 2020.
Douglas Ross had called for him to quit in January but now believes it would be wrong for him to go while Ukraine fights for survival.
When asked whether Mr Johnson was a truthful individual on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Mr Ross replied: “Yes.”
But when asked whether the Tory chief’s statement in parliament that no Covid restrictions had been breached was correct, he said: “Clearly not. That statement is not correct.”
It came after Ian Blackford blasted claims Boris Johnson must remain as prime minister due to the eastern European war as a “smokescreen”.
The SNP’s Westminster leader branded the Tory leader a “threat to democracy” as he refuses to stand down after receiving a fine for breaking his own lockdown rules.
Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, Mr Blackford said parliament must be recalled so the prime minister can quit.
He said: “Boris Johnson should be coming to the House and he should be making a resignation statement.
“He broke the law. He broke his own laws. Not only did he break the law but he has repeatedly lied to the public, he has repeatedly lied to the House of Commons.
‘He’s lost the right to govern’
“It simply isn’t good enough. He’s lost the trust of the public. He’s lost the right to govern.”
On claims he must stay in post due to the Ukraine crisis, he added: “That’s a smokescreen.
“The UK’s changed leaders during the First World War and the Second World War. This man is a threat to the very democracy we’re seeking to uphold.”
Following on from his SNP rival, Douglas Ross admitted he’d had his “differences” with the prime minister.
He insisted it would be too logistically tricky to install a new Tory prime minister during the conflict since a leadership election can sometimes take months.
‘Global situation is important’
Mr Ross said: “While I share the anger and the fury that people have about this now, and people have had about this for months, I’m also looking at the global situation.
“I think even the prime minister’s harshest critics would agree that he and the UK Government have responded well to the situation in Ukraine.”
But he said that Mr Johnson should explain why he was sure no rules were previously broken, and added that Sue Gray’s report should still be released in full.
Nicola Sturgeon, Keir Starmer and former Scottish Tory boss Ruth Davidson all demanded Boris Johnson’s resignation yesterday.
After the fines were issued, a No10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have today received notification that the Metropolitan police intend to issue them with fixed penalty notices.”