STOURBRIDGE MP Suzanne Webb told the House of Commons "too much parliamentary time has been taken up" debating the matter of Downing Street parties and Sue Gray's report into them, as she championed beleaguered Prime Minister Boris Johnson this afternoon (Monday).

Mr Johnson would not be drawn to comment on the detail of the report as he was grilled by fellow MPs - simply saying he was 'sorry' and that "it's vital that we learn from Sue Gray's report" and "get on with people's priorities".

The report has identified "failures of leadership and judgment" in Downing Street and its release comes as Tory MPs faced calls from Labour to decide whether they still wish to support Mr Johnson as leader and PM in the face of growing criticism.

Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb, however, stood up in the Commons today in what critics have branded an "appalling" and "shameless" show of support for the under fire PM.

After Labour MP Afzal Khan spoke up on behalf of bereaved relatives and accused Mr Johnson of showing a "complete and absolute failure of leadership and judgement", Ms Webb said: "Those opposite have used up far too much parliamentary time debating this. The residents of Stourbridge want the Prime Minister to focus on the matters that really they care about."

Constituent Mark Binnersley, a political and environmental campaigner, was outraged by the comment and branded it a misrepresentation of the views of himself and others in Stourbridge.

He said it was "beyond appalling" that Ms Webb continues to defend the PM who he accused of "trashing the UK's reputation and doing more "to undermine trust in politics than anyone" in his 48-year lifetime and he accused her of placing "political ambitions before integrity".

Similarly, Stourbridge based writer and film-maker Kyle Pedley spoke out on Facebook about Ms Webb's remark in the Commons and said: "How dare she once again assume to speak on our behalf".

He described the show of support for Mr Johnson "shameless" and branded Ms Webb a "sycophant" - adding: "There are many, many, many people in this town utterly disgusted by the Prime Minister’s behaviour, the ‘one rule for them, another for us’ mentality from up on high, your own fly-by, blink-and-you’ll-miss it oversight of the constituency, and once again having the brazen gall to speak on our collective behalf and spread the absolute mistruth that we don’t care about it."

Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb said she does "understand the anger" about the alleged partying in Downing Street at a time when people were prevented from seeing loved ones as they lay dying in hospitals and care homes but she said the country should be focussed on "important matters" such as the unfolding situation with Russia and the Ukraine.

She told the News: "I am pleased the Prime Minister understands the operation at both Downing Street and the Cabinet Office need to be overhauled in light of Sue Gray’s update.

"I understand the anger about what has happened but I spent the weekend talking to my constituents on the doorstep and they want the Government to get on with levelling up, creating good quality jobs and aiding the recovery from the pandemic. Those are the issues that concern them the most.

"My view is that too much parliamentary time has been taken up with this already. There is a police investigation that needs to be completed. Until then, we should be focusing on important matters like stopping Russian aggression in the Ukraine."