Facts

Asked by Sophie Ridge “Why is the Prime Minister trying to water down parliamentary standards?” Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis replied “Well, he’s not.”

Ms Ridge was questioning Mr Lewis about changes to the Ministerial Code announced by Boris Johnson the previous day. 

The new guidelines softened the ministerial code so that ministers would not necessarily resign if they breached the code. The Prime Minister  changed the foreword to the ministerial code, removing references to honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability.

Verdict

Brandon Lewis was misleading TV viewers. 

We approached Mr Lewis’  office to give him  a chance to comment, but received no response.