The prime minister's father, Stanley Johnson, has been pictured shopping without a face covering, breaking current Covid-19 restrictions.

Mr Johnson - a former Tory MEP - has apologised, claiming he may not be "100% up to speed" with current rules after returning from abroad.

Fines for not wearing a covering in a shop were raised by the government last week to £200 for first time offenders.

It came a day before his son, Boris Johnson, held a press conference, appealing to the public to "follow the rules" and warning fines would be imposed on those who don't.

Speaking to the Mirror, Stanley Johnson said: "I'm extremely sorry for the slip up and I would urge absolutely everybody to do everything they can to make sure they do follow the rules about masks and social distancing. The fact this was my first day back in the UK after three weeks abroad is, I am sure, no excuse for not knowing the rules."

Mr Johnson was criticised back in July for travelling to Greece during the coronavirus lockdown.

The guidance on air travel from the UK Foreign Office advised against "all but essential international travel" at the time and insisted on a two-week quarantine on return.

But he told the Daily Mail he was in the country "on essential business" to ensure a property he rents out was "Covid-proof" before holidays restart.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54369002





Trips abroad, no quarantine, no face covering - yet avoids the fines that his son has promised for others .....

Might he have a medical condition that excludes him?

How do you KNOW he won't be fined?

Following The Sun’s picture scoop that Jeremy Corbyn attended a party of nine, Labour’s Shadow Education Minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan was quick to say Corbyn should face a fine for breaching the rule of six. Dr Allin-Khan added that Stanley Johnson, who appears mask-less in a shop on the front page of The Mirror this morning, should be fined too. Both will be required to pay £200 under the new tighter rules…

Tory ministers past and present have defended Boris Johnson's father for not wearing a face mask in public and say he should not be fined.

Environment minister George Eustice and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said penalties, which range from £200 to £10,000 for failing to follow government advice on new Covid measures, should only be reserved for repeat offenders.