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  • Embattled Boris says he won’t resign

    Embattled Boris says he won’t resign

    The “partygate” scandal continues to spiral out ahead of an internal Cabinet Office inquiry report, which has now been delayed to an unspecified later date, reports Asian Lite News

    Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said he won’t resign amidst growing pressure on him to quit after the so-called “partygate” scandal of alleged lockdown breaches at 10 Downing Street and other government offices during 2020-2021.

    The scandal continues to spiral out ahead of an internal Cabinet Office inquiry report, which has now been delayed to an unspecified later date as Scotland Yard confirmed that the Metropolitan Police will investigate potential lockdown breaches related to alleged parties at Boris Johnson’s office-residence at 10 Downing Street, as well as other government offices in London.

    “As a result firstly of the information provided by the Cabinet Office inquiry team and secondly by the officers own assessment, I can confirm that the Met is now investigating a number of events that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years, Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee at the Mayor of London’s office. I should stress that we are now investigating does not mean fixed penalty notices will necessarily be issued in every instance and to every person involved. We will not be giving a running commentary on our current investigations but I can assure you we will give updates at significant points,” she said.

    This criminal investigation, which could result in fines being issued on Downing Street and government officials, means that the internal Cabinet Office inquiry being led by top civil servant Sue Gray will deliver its report only after the police probe.

    Paymaster General Michael Ellis told the House of Commons that there is “ongoing contact” between the Met Police and Gray, who will meanwhile continue with her separate investigation.

    He said the government cannot comment on “what is an ongoing police investigation” and asked MPs “not to preempt its conclusions”.

    Earlier, Downing Street said Johnson, who turned 56 on June 19, 2020, was present at an event “for less than 10 minutes” as his staff “gathered briefly” to wish him a happy birthday.

    The strict lockdown rules imposed at the time to contain the spread of coronavirus banned most indoor gatherings involving more than two people. But ITV News’ reported on Monday night that up to 30 people attended the event, sang Happy Birthday and were served cake.

    The event reportedly took place in the Cabinet Room of Downing Street just after 2pm local time that day and had been arranged as a surprise for Johnson by his then fiancee and now wife, Carrie Symonds, after he returned from an official trip to a school in Hertfordshire.

    “A group of staff working in Number 10 that day gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room after a meeting to wish the Prime Minister a happy birthday. He was there for less than 10 minutes,” a Number 10 Downing Street spokesperson said.

    The ITV report also claimed that the same evening, family friends were hosted upstairs in the Prime Minister’s official residence in apparent breach of the rules.

    However, Number 10 denied that claim: “This is totally untrue. In line with the rules at the time the Prime Minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening.”

    A number of his ministers spoke out in his defence even as the rebellion among backbench MPs continued to mount.

    “It obviously was the Prime Minister’s birthday, he’d been given a cake earlier in the day, that’s the picture in the newspapers,” UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News’.

    And he was clearly given a cake by staff when he got back to the office. These are staff he would have been working with and was working with all day long, and will have been many a time in the same room with them working on the response to coronavirus. They come in, give him a cake, I understand I think it lasted for 10 minutes and that was it,” he said.

    The minister reiterated that it was ultimately for Gray to decide whether this was appropriate.

    “I think we can be pretty clear that the Prime Minister didn’t present the cake to himself, he added.

    Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said in a tweet: “So, when people in an office buy a cake in the middle of the afternoon for someone else they are working in the office with and stop for 10 minutes to sing happy birthday and then go back to their desks, this is now called a party?”

    But Opposition Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, repeated his call for Johnson, 57, to resign in the wake of the latest revelations.

    The Prime Minister is a national distraction and he’s got to go,” he said.

    It comes as Johnson meets his Cabinet for a regular weekly meeting on Tuesday amid the growing threat of war in eastern Europe.

    A Conservative backbench rebellion against Boris Johnson’s leadership is likely to continue intensifying.

    A total of 54 Tory MPs must write letters of no confidence in Johnson as a leader to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the party’s powerful backbench 1922 Committee, to trigger a leadership contest.

    Most were said to be w3aiting for the inquiry report to make up their minds, with the latest developments involving the police likely to renew their activities.

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  • Boris greets India on Republic Day

    Boris greets India on Republic Day

    In May, 2021, AstraZeneca pledged $1 million USD in humanitarian aid to support relief activities in India as well as other communities around the world hardest hit by the pandemic…reports Asian Lite News

    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has greeted the people of India on the occasion of 73rd Republic Day saying that the nations are tied by deep bonds that span through the generations.

    In his message, on the eve of the Republic Day, he recalled the Free Trade Agreement between India and the UK and also the joint manufacturing of Corona vaccine by the Oxford-AstraZeneca.

    “The UK and India are tied by deep bonds that span through the generations and across some of the greatest modern day challenges we have faced. That is why I want to send my best wishes on behalf of the United Kingdom to the people of India, and to all the British Indians in the UK, on India’s Republic Day.”

    “As two diverse democracies, I am proud of our strong friendship, demonstrated by the launch of free trade negotiations this month and our partnership manufacturing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. I look forward to fortifying those bonds as we bring our ambitions, people and economies together to prosper for the next 75 years and beyond.” the message read.

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    READ MORE-FTA TALKS: Jaishankar meets UK trade minister

    On January 13, 2022, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal launched the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United Kingdom along with Anne-Marie Trevelyan, UK Secretary of State for International Trade in New Delhi.

    The FTA is expected to facilitate the target of doubling bilateral trade between India and the United Kingdom by 2030, set by the Prime Ministers of both the nations, Narendra Modi and Boris Johnson in May 2021.

    In May, 2021, AstraZeneca pledged $1 million USD in humanitarian aid to support relief activities in India as well as other communities around the world hardest hit by the pandemic.

    This includes directing $250,000 USD to Direct Relief to support their efforts in India, which includes the distribution of oxygen concentrators, medicines, other supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to provide treatment and care for those with Covid-19.

    “We remain steadfast in our continued commitment to changing the course of the pandemic for the people of India,” said Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca on AstraZeneca’s support to India during the second wave of the corona pandemic.

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  • Fresh party trouble for Boris

    Fresh party trouble for Boris

    The latest claim comes as the prime minister fights for survival amid a growing scandal over lockdown parties at Downing Street attended by him and his staff, currently the subject of an investigation by a senior civil servant, reports Asian Lite News

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke lockdown rules by having a birthday party with up to 30 people present at Downing Street in 2020, a British television channel alleged Monday.

    The latest claim comes as the prime minister fights for survival amid a growing scandal over lockdown parties at Downing Street attended by him and his staff, currently the subject of an investigation by a senior civil servant.

    ITV reported that Johnson’s then-fiance Carrie Symonds, who has since become the PM’s wife, organised a surprise party for his 56th birthday on June 19, 2020 with up to 30 staff attending.

    Under the rules in force at the time, social gatherings were only permitted between 6 people outside.

    Johnson had recently urged the public to “show restraint and respect the rules”.

    The ITV report said it understood that those present in the Cabinet Room, a meeting room at 10 Downing Street, included an interior designer who was working on the prime minister’s flat but was not a member of his staff, Lulu Lytle.

    It alleged that Symonds and Lytle presented Johnson with a cake and his staff sang happy birthday at a party lasting around half an hour.

    Downing Street said that staff gathered briefly after a meeting and Johnson attended for less than 10 minutes.

    It denied as “totally untrue” a second allegation that the prime minister held a separate party that evening with family friends, saying he met a small number of family members outside.

    Critics have accused Johnson of lying to parliament about what he knew and when, with regard to boozy parties held in Downing Street in apparent breach of his own government’s Covid rules over the past two years.

    Johnson’s former closest aide, Dominic Cummings, warned on his blog on Monday that “other damaging stories will come out until he (Johnson) is gone”.

    The prime minister faces a “no confidence” vote if at least 54 MPs from his party submit letters calling for this.

    “The prime minister is a national distraction,” opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer told Sky News in response to the latest allegation.

    “In the national interest, he’s just got to go.”

    Differences within party

    The two senior cabinet ministers of Indian origin in the British government – Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel – do not appear to be on the same page as far as support to Prime Minister Boris Johnson is concerned. Sunak’s endorsement of his boss is seen by British media as “tepid”, as compared Patels wholesome loyalty to the incumbent of 10 Downing Street.

    The Independent reported: “Cabinet divisions the Downing Street party scandal have widened as Priti Patel appeared to criticise Rishi Sunak for declining to back the Prime Minister fully.” She was seemingly referring to Sunak’s absence from “Prime Minister’s Questions” slot in the House of Commons at which Johnson tendered a grovelling apology and was pilloried by the Leader of Opposition Sir Keir Starmer.

    Sunak was, in fact, on a visit to Devon, some 225 miles away from London, and only tweeted a message eight hours after the event. His carefully worded message said: “The PM was right to apologise and I support his request for patience while Sue Gray carries out her enquiry.”

    Gray is a senior civil servant, who has been entrusted with the onerous and unenviable task of investigating into 17 odd parties reportedly held at Downing Street during Covid lockdowns. Her brief is to find out if these were social gatherings and, so, broke the law. Johnson’s prime ministership is said to hinge on her discovery, although, technically, whether he violated the ministerial code by having knowledge of or attending non-work get-togethers, may not be her remit. There is separately the more serious issue of Johnson misleading Parliament, which is reason for a resignation. Gray’s report is expected next week.

    Asked on Sky News if she agreed with Sunak’s “lukewarm support” for Johnson’s apology in the Commons, Patel replied: “No! On the contrary, I have publicly supported the Prime Minister and actually you’re speaking to the Home Secretary who spends all my time day in day out supporting the Prime Minister, his agenda of delivering on the people’s priorities and the work that we do.”

    Johnson is in trouble on various fronts, from accepting a donation from a businessman to refurbish his official residence – a significant part of which he allegedly failed to declare, as is mandatory under ministerial and MPs’ codes in the United Kingdom – and about he and his office serially violating Covid-19 lockdown laws introduced by his government and ratified by Parliament since 2020.

    Rather notoriously, there was a garden party at Downing Street on May 20, 2020 during the height of restrictions on the public, where 100 people were invited and asked to “bring you own bottle” or “BYOB”. The invitation went out from Johnson’s Principal Private Secretary and was attended by the Prime Minister and his wife Carrie. His explanation that he thought it was a work meeting and didn’t know it the assembly contravened the existing law has been rejected by an overwhelming section of Britons in opinion polls.

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  • Boris faces week that defines his political future

    Boris faces week that defines his political future

    Johnson has so far managed to keep a lid on the growing rebellion within his party despite a number of Tory MPs publicly calling on him to resign, reports Asian Lite News

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces the most critical week of his premiership, as he braces for the outcome of an investigation that could lead to his own colleagues ousting him.

    Allegations are also mounting over the conduct of his government whips — the Conservative Party lawmakers responsible for maintaining party discipline — with member of Parliament Nusrat Ghani claiming on Sunday that she was fired as a minister in 2020 partly because of her Muslim faith.

    Several Conservative MPs and ministers rallied round Ghani, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid writing on Twitter it was a “very serious matter which needs a proper investigation.” It comes after Tory MP William Wragg accused the whips of trying to “blackmail” MPs who were challenging Johnson’s leadership by threatening to withdraw taxpayer funding from their constituencies.

    The latest swirl of allegations around Johnson and his team has further dented trust in the prime minister, just as he battles for survival over claims that he allowed alcohol-fueled gatherings in Downing Street which broke pandemic rules imposed by his own government.

    Johnson has so far managed to keep a lid on the growing rebellion within his party despite a number of Tory MPs publicly calling on him to resign. But many lawmakers have been waiting for the outcome of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s inquiry before deciding whether to join rebels in forcing a vote of confidence in Johnson’s leadership. Her report is due to be published this week but the exact day has not been confirmed.

    The government will attempt to get back on the front foot Monday by announcing new funding for schools to help deal with Covid-19, as part of a transition to living with the virus. Schools in England will get 8 million pounds to both support the vaccination program for 12-15 year-olds and provide “air cleaning units” to boost ventilation where needed, the Education Department said in an emailed statement.

    Johnson wants to refocus attention on his decision to lift most Covid restrictions in England, with mandatory face masks being dropped from Thursday, in an attempt to win over many of his MPs who have long called for the move. His team are also preparing to unveil a long-awaited blueprint on how to “level up” the country to boost prosperity in the least affluent regions, one of the key planks of his domestic agenda.

    But anger and dismay among rank-and-file Conservatives are still running high, after months of turmoil in Johnson’s government that began with his botched handling of a probe into former minister Owen Paterson. The Conservatives’ poll ratings have plummeted.

    Johnson would face a confidence vote on his leadership if 54 Tory MPs, or 15% of the total in the House of Commons, submit letters to a key committee calling for him to resign. He would then need over 50% of Tory MPs to back him in a secret ballot; if he loses the vote, a leadership contest to replace him would get under way.

    As the first female Muslim minister to speak in the House of Commons, Ghani’s claims come at a highly sensitive time for Johnson. She told the Sunday Times that her “Muslimness was raised as an issue” for her sacking in a 2020 reshuffle. “It was like being punched in the stomach,” she told the newspaper. “I felt humiliated and powerless.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCCxd6kSk-E

    Conservative Chief Whip Mark Spencer said on Twitter that Ghani was referring to him and that the accusations were “completely false.” In a separate statement, Johnson’s office said the premier had invited Ghani to make a formal complaint at the time and she chose not to.

    But Ghani later hit back, saying in an emailed statement she had only been offered an internal Conservative Party complaint process rather than a government inquiry. This was “very clearly not appropriate for something that happened on government business,” she said.

    An independent review last year found that “anti-Muslim sentiment remains a problem” in the Conservative Party. Swaran Singh, a professor of psychiatry at Warwick University, who led the inquiry, said at the time: “While the problem is not systemic, the party must now act to root it out.”

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  • Boris: UK-Africa investment can help alleviate climate change

    Boris: UK-Africa investment can help alleviate climate change

    The service provides practical online support to businesses in Africa that want to export to and invest in the UK, and businesses in the UK that want to export to and invest in Africa…reports Asian Lite News

    The UK must boost green investment in Africa and become the continent’s investment partner of choice as it transitions to clean growth, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told a trade conference.

    Johnson made the comments as he opened the latest UK-Africa Investment Conference, a one-day virtual event with UK and African ministers, business leaders and heads of international organisations meeting to discuss sustainable investment.

    Johnson said he wants Britain to finance critical infrastructure projects in those African countries worst hit by climate change, which will in turn help the region achieve its full economic potential.

    He pointed out that the UK is already the biggest investor in renewable energy in South Africa and has helped finance the export of 87 emergency bridges made in Gloucestershire to strengthen flood defences in Ghana.

    “By 2050, Africa’s population is set to double to 2.5 billion and the mother continent of humanity will be home to a quarter of the world’s population”, Johnson said in the opening address.

    As part of the drive, the UK Department for International Trade is launching Growth Gateway — a digital tool to link African and British businesses to UK trade, finance and investment services and opportunities.

    The service provides practical online support to businesses in Africa that want to export to and invest in the UK, and businesses in the UK that want to export to and invest in Africa.

    The UK’s export credit agency — the UK Export Finance (UKEF) — has significantly increased support for markets in Africa in the past year from approximately £600 million ($820m) in 2018-19 to more than £2.3 billion in 2020-21, in countries from Côte d’Ivoire to Uganda.

    “This conference is a fantastic opportunity to bring British and African businesses together to unlock millions of pounds of new investment, especially in clean energy industries in both the UK and across Africa,” said the UK’s Minister for Africa Vicky Ford.

    “There is so much more that the UK and African countries can do together. Growth Gateway will make it easier than ever for African and British businesses to access the support they need to boost two-way trade and investment.”

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  • RIFT IN TORY RANKS

    RIFT IN TORY RANKS

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel — do not appear to be on the same page as far as support to Prime Minister Boris Johnson is concerned, reports Ashis Ray

    The two senior cabinet ministers of Indian origin in the British government— Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel — do not appear to be on the same page as far as support to Prime Minister Boris Johnson is concerned. Sunak’s endorsement of his boss is seen by British media as “tepid”, as compared Patels wholesome loyalty to the incumbent of 10 Downing Street.

    The Independent reported: “Cabinet divisions the Downing Street party scandal have widened as Priti Patel appeared to criticise Rishi Sunak for declining to back the Prime Minister fully.” She was seemingly referring to Sunak’s absence from “Prime Minister’s Questions” slot in the House of Commons at which Johnson tendered a grovelling apology and was pilloried by the Leader of Opposition Sir Keir Starmer.

    Sunak was, in fact, on a visit to Devon, some 225 miles away from London, and only tweeted a message eight hours after the event. His carefully worded message said: “The PM was right to apologise and I support his request for patience while Sue Gray carries out her enquiry.”

    Gray is a senior civil servant, who has been entrusted with the onerous and unenviable task of investigating into 17 odd parties reportedly held at Downing Street during Covid lockdowns. Her brief is to find out if these were social gatherings and, so, broke the law. Johnson’s prime ministership is said to hinge on her discovery, although, technically, whether he violated the ministerial code by having knowledge of or attending non-work get-togethers, may not be her remit. There is separately the more serious issue of Johnson misleading Parliament, which is reason for a resignation. Gray’s report is expected next week.

    Asked on Sky News if she agreed with Sunak’s “lukewarm support” for Johnson’s apology in the Commons, Patel replied: “No! On the contrary, I have publicly supported the Prime Minister and actually you’re speaking to the Home Secretary who spends all my time day in day out supporting the Prime Minister, his agenda of delivering on the people’s priorities and the work that we do.”

    Big trouble for PM

    Johnson is in trouble on various fronts, from accepting a donation from a businessman to refurbish his official residence – a significant part of which he allegedly failed to declare, as is mandatory under ministerial and MPs’ codes in the United Kingdom – and about he and his office serially violating Covid-19 lockdown laws introduced by his government and ratified by Parliament since 2020.

    Rather notoriously, there was a garden party at Downing Street on May 20, 2020 during the height of restrictions on the public, where 100 people were invited and asked to “bring you own bottle” or “BYOB”. The invitation went out from Johnson’s Principal Private Secretary and was attended by the Prime Minister and his wife Carrie. His explanation that he thought it was a work meeting and didn’t know it the assembly contravened the existing law has been rejected by an overwhelming section of Britons in opinion polls.

    Furthermore, the night before the British monarch Queen Elizabeth’s late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last year – when Britain was in official mourning as well as in Covid lockdown – there was a party in the basement of Downing Street, with drinking and dancing to disco music conducted by a DJ. The alcohol for the binge was smuggled into the building in a suitcase.

    Sunak and Patel’s political standings at present are quite different. The former who entered parliament five years after the latter did, has sped past her and is the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Johnson in case he steps down. Sunak’s performance as Chancellor in saving livelihoods with generous grants and furloughs during the Covid crisis has endeared him to his party and the British public.

    Patel, on the other hand, has from all accounts struggled at the Home Office. She was also indicted for violating the ministerial code with “bullying” behaviour towards civil servants. But Johnson did not dismiss her as has been the convention. The senior-most civil servant in her ministry resigned and had to be paid heavy compensation by the treasury to withdraw a suit he had filed at a tribunal.

    A leadership contest in Johnson’s ruling Conservative party is triggered by 15 per cent of its MPs asking for it. This works out to 54 lawmakers. Senior Conservative MP David Davies shocked the Commons on Wednesday by telling Johnson to his face: “In the name of God, go!”

    Govt accused of ‘blackmail’

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday dismissed new allegations that his aides had tried to “blackmail” and threaten Conservative rebels, in a potentially criminal twist to Downing Street’s “partygate” scandal.

    Senior Tory William Wragg disclosed the alleged intimidation campaign as Downing Street battles to shore up Johnson against calls from within the party for his resignation.

    “The intimidation of a member of parliament is a serious matter. Reports of which I am aware would seem to constitute blackmail,” said Wragg, one of seven Tory MPs who have publicly called for a party confidence vote.

    Addressing MPs, Wragg said any affected members should report it to the police and to the Speaker’s office in the House of Commons.

    Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, addressing the chamber in sombre tones, said any such campaign would amount to “contempt” of parliament, which is a criminal offence.

    Scotland’s First Minister First Minister Nicola Sturgeon alleged the charge amounted to “corruption”, and accused Johnson of “tarnishing the office of prime minister”.

    But Johnson told reporters: “I’ve seen no evidence, heard no evidence, to support any of those allegations.

    “What I am focused on is what we’re doing to deal with the number one priority of the British people, which is coming through Covid,” he said on a visit to a medical clinic in southwest England.

    Johnson refused to confirm his aides’ assertion that he would fight any no-confidence vote and not comment further on the dramatic defection of Conservative MP Christian Wakeford to the Labour party on Wednesday.

    The alleged intimidation campaign includes threats to withdraw funding from rebels’ constituencies, and to leak damaging stories to the media.

    Wakeford said he had been told his seat in northwest England could lose a school if he did not fall into line.

    Prior to Wragg’s explosive intervention, Johnson allies had been talking up the prime minister’s chances of survival, after Wakeford’s cross-party switch focused Tory minds on the threat from a resurgent Labour opposition.

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  • Johnson denies lying about lockdown party

    Johnson denies lying about lockdown party

    Johnson is battling damaging allegations that he and staff attended boozy events during Covid restrictions, prompting an investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray, reports Asian Lite News

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday “categorically” denied claims by his former chief aide that he lied to parliament about a Downing Street party held during a strict lockdown.

    But appearing in public for the first time after days of Covid self-isolation, Johnson also ducked questions about whether he would resign if an internal inquiry establishes that he did lie.

    Johnson is battling damaging allegations that he and staff attended boozy events during Covid restrictions, prompting an investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

    The revelations have sparked public fury, leading to a double-digit lead in polls for the main opposition Labour party over Johnson’s Conservatives, and calls from some Tories for him to quit.

    Johnson has apologised for a party on May 20, 2020 in the Downing Street garden, telling parliament last week he thought it was a “work event”, despite an aide inviting staff to “bring your own booze”.

    But his combative former senior adviser Dominic Cummings, who has been waging a vendetta against Johnson since leaving Downing Street in late 2020, said he warned his then boss about the event at the time.

    “I can tell you categorically that nobody told me, nobody said this was something that was against the rules, that it was a breach of the Covid rules, that it was something that wasn’t a work event,” Johnson said.

    “Frankly, I can’t imagine why on earth it would have been allowed to go ahead,” he told reporters on a visit to a London hospital.

    Hanging his head in remorse, Johnson also renewed his office’s apology to Queen Elizabeth II after it emerged that his staff held leaving parties during national mourning for her husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021.

    Johnson’s denials have been carefully worded, appearing to clear him of any personal blame even if there was wrongdoing by staff, and relying on a narrow exemption for work gatherings during lockdowns.

    But in the latest of an incendiary series of blog posts, Cummings wrote that he told Johnson that Downing Street was becoming a boozy “madhouse”. The prime minister “waved it aside”, he said.

    “The events of 20 May alone, never mind the string of other events, mean the PM lied to Parliament about parties,” said Cummings, adding he was ready to swear to his account “on oath”.

    Cummings would give evidence to Gray as part of her inquiry, British media reported.

    Six Conservatives have openly called for Johnson’s resignation, although more are reported to have done so in private.

    Fifty-four letters from Tory MPs are needed to trigger a no-confidence vote, with indications that constituents have made their feelings about Johnson known to their local representatives over the weekend — and not in a positive way.

    Asked if he would step down, Johnson said: “We’ll have to see what she (Gray) says.

    “I repeat my deep apologies to people for mistakes that may have been made on my watch,” he said.

    Johnson’s senior ministerial colleagues have largely rallied round him, urging the public to wait for the conclusions from Gray’s investigation, which is expected in the coming days.

    But Dominic Raab, the deputy premier and justice secretary, conceded that a proven lie by a minister “would normally under the ministerial code, and the governance around parliament, be a resigning matter”.

    And in his first on-camera comments on the revelations, powerful finance minister Rishi Sunak said “the ministerial code is clear on these matters”.

    “I fully support the prime minister’s request for patience as this inquiry persists,” said Sunak, who is tipped to be a strong contender to take over from Johnson in any leadership contest.

    Pressed on whether the prime minister had his unequivocal support, Sunak then broke off the interview and walked off with his microphone still attached.

    The opposition Labour party was unequivocal in restating its demands for Johnson to quit following the Cummings blog.

    “Boris Johnson clearly knows it’s the end of the road,” Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said.

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  • Boris knew about lockdown party, says former adviser

    Boris knew about lockdown party, says former adviser

    Cummings said that after Reynolds was told to cancel the invite by at least two people Reynolds checked with PM Johnson if it should go ahead…reports Asian Lite News

    A former senior adviser to Britain’s Boris Johnson said on Monday he was willing to “swear under oath” that the prime minister knew a party was being held at his residence during a COVID-19 lockdown, accusing him of lying to parliament.

    British media have reported that at least 11 gatherings took place at 10 Downing Street – the prime minister’s official residence and office – or in other government departments between May 2020 and April 2021, when COVID-19 rules limited how many people could meet socially. An internal inquiry is being carried out to establish the facts.

    PM Johnson last week apologised to parliament for attending a “bring your own booze” gathering in the garden of Downing Street on May 20, 2020, but said he had thought it was a work event.

    Dominic Cummings, an architect of Britain’s departure from the European Union and a former senior adviser to PM Johnson who left government under acrimonious terms in November 2020, said on Twitter that the prime minister had agreed that the drinks party should go ahead.

    “Not only me but other eyewitnesses who discussed this at the time would swear under oath this is what happened,” he said on his blog.

    Last week ITV News published an email invitation from Johnson’s Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds to a May 20, 2020 event, asking attendees to “bring your own booze”.

    Cummings said that after Reynolds was told to cancel the invite by at least two people Reynolds checked with PM Johnson if it should go ahead.

    “The PM agreed it should,” Cummings said in his blog.

    PM Johnson’s spokesman denied earlier on Monday that the prime minister had been made aware of the May 20 event.

    “It’s untrue to say that the prime minister was told or warned ahead of that,” the spokesman said.

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  • Starmer slams Boris over ‘party culture’

    Starmer slams Boris over ‘party culture’

    However, Starmer told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme he did not need to wait for the report to conclude that Johnson broke the rules…reports Asian Lite News

    Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of breaking Covid laws with parties held in Downing Street during lockdown, the BBC reported.

    The Labour leader said the UK prime minister had “lied” about “industrial-scale partying” in No 10.

    Six Tory MPs have now called on the Prime Minister to resign over gatherings held during restrictions.

    But Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden said the Prime Minister would take action over the “underlying culture” in Downing Street, the report said.

    Dowden told the BBC the Prime Minister was “committed” to doing this when he responds to an official inquiry on events in government buildings.

    The internal investigation, led by senior civil servant Sue Gray, is expected to be published as soon as next week

    However, Starmer told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme he did not need to wait for the report to conclude that Johnson broke the rules.

    “The facts speak for themselves, and the country has made up its mind,” he said, adding it was “blindingly obvious what’s happened”.

    “I think he broke the law, I think he’s as good as admitted that he broke the law,” he added, the report said.

    Pressure on Johnson has been growing since he admitted he attended a gathering in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020, during the first Covid lockdown.

    As many as 100 people were invited to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden” in an email on behalf of the prime minister’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, the report said.

    On Wednesday, Johnson told MPs he had “believed implicitly” it was a work event, but admitted: “With hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside”. 

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  • PM’s lockdown ‘party’ was held on eve of Philip funeral

    PM’s lockdown ‘party’ was held on eve of Philip funeral

    Johnson is facing calls to resign over a slew of alleged parties held at his Downing Street office while the country was locked down as part of restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus…reports Asian Lite News

    Staff at the office of under-fire British Prime Minister Boris Johnson drank alcohol at two leaving events during lockdown on the eve of Prince Philip’s socially-distanced funeral, The Telegraph reported Thursday.

    Advisers and civil servants gathered after work on April 16 last year to mark the departure of James Slack, PM Johnson’s director of communications, and one of the prime minister’s personal photographers, the paper reported.

    Johnson is facing calls to resign over a slew of alleged parties held at his Downing Street office while the country was locked down as part of restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus.

    Eye-witnesses told The Telegraph that alcohol was served and guests danced as the gatherings stretched late into the night.

    The events came the day before Queen Elizabeth’s late husband, Prince Philip, was laid to rest, and while the country was in a period of public mourning.

    The queen sitting alone in church due to the Covid regulations provided one of the starkest images of the lockdown in Britain.

    On Wednesday, the Prime Minister offered “heartfelt apologies” for attending a lockdown-breaching party held in his Downing Street garden, but deflected calls to resign as the opposition leader called him a “man without shame”.

    Breaking his silence over the latest of a slew of allegations regarding top-level misbehaviour, Johnson said he regarded the boozy get-together in May 2020 as a work event for Downing Street staff.

    He added that he did not appreciate how it would look to millions of Britons who were respecting Covid rules, even missing out on farewells to dying relatives.

    “And to them and to this House I offer my heartfelt apologies,” Johnson told a stormy session of questions in the House of Commons.

    Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour party, dismissed the apology as “worthless” and mocked Johnson for belatedly speaking out after “months of deceit and deception”.

    “Is he now going to do the decent thing and resign?” Starmer said, demanding the Conservative leader’s head for the first time and arguing: “The prime minister’s a man without shame.”

    Even some on his own side want Johnson to go, but in response to Starmer, he urged all sides to await the findings of an internal inquiry he has commissioned by a senior civil servant.

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