NICOLA Sturgeon has called on Boris Johnson to resign after he and Rishi Sunak were both fined for breaking lockdown rules during the pandemic.

Mr Johnson's wife Carrie is also being fined.

Reacting to the explosive news on Twitter, the First Minister said Mr Johnson had broken the law and “repeatedly lied to parliament about it”.

She said the “basic values of integrity and decency” demanded he should go.

“And he should take his out of touch chancellor with him,” she added, referring to the separate scandal around the tax affairs of Mr Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty. 

Deputy First Minister John Swinney also said Mr Johnson “must resign” for breaking the law “he put in place”. 

SNP Westminister leader Ian Blackford said both the PM and Mr Sunak's positions were "untenable".

He said: "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak must now resign.

"The Prime Minister repeatedly misled Parliament, lied to the public and at times even simply laughed it off - taking the public for fools.

"In reality, Johnson and Sunak have overseen one of the biggest lockdown breaches that has led to the Metropolitan Police issuing a staggering number of fines for rule-breaking.

"There simply cannot be one rule for the Tories and another for the rest of us."

The call was echoed by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, who said both the PM and his Chancellor should quit.

He said: “One rule for them. The position of both is now completely untenable. They must resign.”

Her added: "Women gave birth alone and people said goodbye to loved ones on Zoom, all the while the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were partying in Downing Street.

“The police have now completely shredded Johnson’s claims that no laws were broken. He broke the rules and then lied about it. He cannot be trusted to continue as Prime Minister. Parliament should be recalled for a vote of no confidence."

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who previously called on Mr Johnson to resign over the scandal before U-turning in light of Ukraine, has yet to comment.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said Mr Ross needed to "show some guts" and leadership and call for the pair to quit.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said both the PM and Chancellor had broken the law and "must resign".

Looking ahead to the elections, he added: "On 5th May, send the Tories a message - no one is above the law."

Green MSP Gillian Mackay said: “Even by the low standards of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, this is a disgrace.

They have shown a total disregard for the rules that they themselves set.

"They totally ignored the sacrifices that people were making across the country and partied on regardless.

"It is not just the parties that were shocking, it is also the series of lies and half-truths that were told to cover them up.

"This whole saga has totally undermined public trust in them and their government. They cannot credibly govern.

"It is time for them to take responsibility. If they have a shred of dignity left they will resign immediately.”

The fines revive the most damaging scandal of Mr Johnson's premiership as his party prepares for the local elections in May. 

Mr Johnson had previously told the House of Commons that no rules were broken in Downing Street - and that there were no parties.

However it later emerged he had attended at least one such party.

The Metropolitan Police has now issused more than 50 fixed penalty notices in respect of unlawful gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall in 2020 and 2021.

The Prime Minister has made it clear he intends to stay put, despite the fine, daring his MPs to force a vote of no confidence in him.

Many had been ready to do so, but then relented when Russia invaded Ukraine, and a leadership crisis was seen as being helpful to Vladimir Putin.

However a bad result for the Tories in next month's local elections may change minds as the party looks to the 2024 general election.