Boris Johnson is focused on “saving his own skin” rather than key issues, after findings into No 10 lockdown parties were published, Sir Keir Starmer says.
The update delivered by Sue Gray blamed a “failure of leadership” for rule breaking in Downing Street.
Mr Johnson met Tory MPs on Monday to reassure them about his premiership and to promise a shake-up in No 10.
But the Labour leader accused the PM of becoming distracted from problems like the cost of living crisis.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab defended his boss, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he had “expressed contrition for his overall responsibility”, and had a plan to fix the running of No 10.
But fellow Tory MP Andrew Mitchell told the same programme the PM was running government like a “medieval court”, and he was doing “great damage” to his party.
Metropolitan Police officers are looking into 12 events for alleged breaches of lockdown rules, including three the PM reportedly attended and one in his flat.
In her partial report, released on Monday, senior civil servant Ms Gray said she had been “extremely limited” by the police investigation in how much she could say, so a “meaningful” report could not be released yet.
She will publish an updated report on lockdown parties in No 10 once police finish their inquiries, Downing Street has said.
A number of Conservative MPs had said they are waiting for Ms Gray’s full report to decide whether to try to remove the PM from office.
But Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed the “mood was positive” in the party after Mr Johnson addressed a meeting of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs on Monday evening.
‘Plan of action’
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Sir Keir said the Mr Johnson had become distracted by trying to save his own premiership.
He said: “So many people are worried about issues such as their energy bills, which are going through the roof, and the prime minister is spending all of his time saving his own skin.
“We now know that he had a meeting planned with the chancellor last week to discuss energy bills, but that was cancelled because he was having meetings to save his own job.”
But Mr Raab insisted the government was “getting on with the job”, despite the ongoing investigation.
“[The PM] recognised that, as Sue Gray said, the standards expected in No 10 were not as they should have been,” he told Today.
“He said he did take responsibility and he apologised, and he provided a plan of action.
“But if you look at the big judgement calls… the prime minister has got these right. This government has got a plan.”
Asked if Mr Johnson had admitted to breaking any of the rules himself, Mr Raab said: “The prime minister has been very clear that he acted in good faith at all times.”
It was only 12 pages, but there was one very damaging and difficult conclusion in the terse summary of Sue Gray’s report.
It is there now in black and white for all to see – there was rule breaking at the top of government when the country was living through lockdown.
The prime minister’s original claim that all the guidelines were followed seems almost farcical now.
Downing Street’s early dismissals of the claims, even some of Mr Johnson’s allies admit, now seem ill-advised. The Tory leader was savaged in the Commons, including by some of his own side, the disbelief and despair led by the former occupant of his address.
The publication, however, has not toppled over an overwhelming set of dominoes.
There are Conservative MPs who are incandescent. There is also a band of loyalists determined to help him stay on, almost whatever happens next.
Read more analysis here.
On Monday in the Commons, some of the PM’s backbenchers expressed support for him – but others issued stinging rebukes in light of the findings.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May asked if he had read or understood the Covid rules created by his government, or whether he “believed they did not apply” to No 10, while ex-cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell said the PM no longer had his support.
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Speaking to Today on Tuesday, Mr Mitchell warned the issue of parties was “a crisis that is not going to go away and is doing very great damage to the party”, saying: “It is more corrosive in my judgement than the expenses scandal was and it will break the coalition that is the Conservative Party.”
The former government whip also criticised the PM’s running of No 10, telling the BBC: “I think the problem is that Boris [Johnson] is running a modern government like a medieval court.
“You need to rule and govern through the structures, through Whitehall, through the cabinet for National Security Council.
“Many of us thought he would govern in the way he did when he was Mayor Of London, through being a chairman of a board, running a very good team – that is not what has happened here.”
In his meeting with Tory MPs on Monday evening, the prime minister promised he would make changes to his political operation, perhaps later this week.
This is expected to include the departure of some back room staff, and possibly a new chief whip to replace Mark Spencer, with some limited ministerial moves, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said.
No 10 has also indicated that it will support the formation of new policy groups of backbenchers to feed views more directly into government.
Mr Johnson also told MPs that the Australian pollster, Lynton Crosby, would be making a return to the operation. There is no detail from Downing Street on what his role will be.