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INDIA 2024 India News

5 regional parties stare at existential crisis

In the assembly elections, BJD managed to win 51 of 147 seats with a 5 percentage points drop in its vote share to 40.22 per cent…reports Asian Lite News

As BJP went into a huddle with TDP and JD(U) to stitch an alliance on Wednesday, and Congress — backed by SP and TMC — looked all set to mount a serious challenge to the coalition, the regional parties suddenly found themselves in the spotlight.

But not all are that lucky.

At least five regional parties, which gave chief ministers and sent scores of MPs to the Parliament, drew a blank this time and were staring at an existential crisis.

For the first time since the party was founded in 1997, Biju Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) drew a blank in Lok Sabha elections. In assembly elections, the results of which were also declared on Tuesday, the party failed to reach the majority mark for the first time since 2009.

Patnaik, who had been Odisha’s chief minister for over 24 years, now has to step aside and let a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader take oath for the top post.

In Lok Sabha elections, BJD’s vote share dropped from 43.32 per cent in 2019 to 37.53 per cent but the number of seats it won fell from 12 out of 21 to zero this year.

In the assembly elections, BJD managed to win 51 of 147 seats with a 5 percentage points drop in its vote share to 40.22 per cent.

This is its worst performance to date in both elections.   

After Patnaik resigned as the CM on Wednesday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to X and called it BJP’s B-team. He said that BJD’s performance was due to the trust it put in “Hum Do”.

“Over the past ten years, the BJD was the B-team of the BJP in Parliament. It supported Mr. Modi on every issue,” he said. “From B-teams, they have become the has-been teams. This is what happens to regional parties who place their trust in the ‘Hum Do’, who have suffered a humiliating moral and political defeat yesterday.”

BJD was among the regional parties which once held sway over the voters but failed to secure even one seat this year.

In the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, a similar story was unfolding for Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Once considered to be the voice of Dalits, the party seems to have lost its grip on the state.

The party failed to open its account in the elections and lost over 10 percentage points of vote share to 9.39 per cent. In 2019, it had secured 10 seats in Lok Sabha with a vote share of 19.42 per cent, but it was fighting in a pre-poll alliance with the SP. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Mayawati blamed the Muslims for her party’s defeat and said that the party would give them a chance in the elections “after a lot of thought so that the party does not suffer a huge loss in the future like this time”.

Mayawati has also been called the BJP’s B-team in the past. However, she has denied the claims each time.

Up north in Haryana, the relatively younger Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) also put up a dismal show losing all 10 seats in the state.

On most seats, it had to forgo its deposit. Until March this year, it was a part of the BJP-led coalition that ruled Haryana.

It had failed to win a seat in the 2019 elections as well but this year, its vote share has shrunk from 4.9 per cent to a dismal 0.87 per cent.

Down south, in Telangana, K Chandrashekar Rao’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi also failed to open its account. The fall was gradual. It had won 11 seats in 2014, nine in 2019, and zero in 2024. 

KCR had faced a similar fate in December last year when his party was ousted in the assembly elections by the Congress party for the first time since the state came into existence in 2014.

Further south in Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — founded by the political heavyweight MG Ramachandran and later groomed by J Jayalalithaa – also failed to make a mark.

In the first election it was fighting without the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), AIADMK lost all 32 seats it contested in Tamil Nadu.

Its alliance partners Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), and the Puthiya Thamizhagam (PT), also failed to win any of the remaining seven seats in the state.

Its performance in the 2019 elections, when it had won one seat, had also signalled that it was reducing in stature. It was starkly different from the 37 seats the party won in the 2014 General Elections.

Changes in Rajya Sabha

The election results of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh state elections would also have a bearing on the membership of the Rajya Sabha. Andhra Pradesh has 11 members in the Upper House, all of which currently come from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

On Tuesday, TDP swept the elections. After Naidu has announced his support for the BJP, this could mean more strength for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Rajya Sabha.

In ten seats of Odisha too, the BJP could have the most members after winning the state elections. This could take the NDA well ahead of the majority mark of 123. Currently, it has 120 members in the Upper House.

ALSO READ-Non-aligned parties lose ground

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Lite Blogs

Sing, Sip, and Snap: A Night of Karaoke and Creative Fun

Get creative with a curated cocktail menu where guests can mix and mingle while concocting their signature drinks. Set up a variety of spirits, mixers, and garnishes for endless cocktail possibilities…reports Asian Lite News

An incredible playlist is certainly a necessity to keep the party going. Turn up the volume and let loose with a karaoke party that’s sure to be a hit with guests of all ages. Create a playlist of your favourite songs, grab the microphone, and sing and dance the night away.

Mix & Mingle over a curated “Cocktail Bar Menu”

Get creative with a curated cocktail menu where guests can mix and mingle while concocting their signature drinks. Set up a variety of spirits, mixers, and garnishes for endless cocktail possibilities. You can throw together a list of classic-hued cocktails like the traditional Mojito, Daiquiri, Martini, and Pina Colada – all based on a versatile and smooth clear spirit like the BACARDÍ Carta Blanca. For the less mixology inclined who prefer east-to-drink options – the BACARDÍ BREEZER range of rainbow flavours is the perfect answer to let your guests raise a toast, in your style.

Creative Workshops

Indulge in creative workshops where guests can unleash their creativity and make handmade crafts or home decor. Provide supplies and instructions for projects like candle-making, painting, or pottery paired with sips of their choice.

Gourmet Potluck Feast

Host a gourmet potluck feast where each guest brings a dish to share. Encourage creativity and diversity with a variety of appetizers, main courses, sides, and desserts for a culinary adventure.

Capture Your Party Snaps Using Snapchat’s AR Lens

Elevate your party vibes and craft unforgettable, interactive memories using Snapchat’s AR experiences. Share the fun and express yourself through a variety of party lenses available in Snapchat’s extensive library. Whether you’re feeling festive or simply want to let loose creatively, there’s a lens for every mood. Choose from options like Let’s Party Time, Pizza Party, Afterparty, Party with Trippie, Party Ready, Neon Devil Horns, and many more. Step up your party experience and capture the excitement with Snapchat’s AR lenses!

ALSO READ-India Refutes Study Claiming 6.7M Kids Without Food

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-Top News UK News

Braverman wins party seat selection

London, Sept 07 (ANI): Indian-origin barrister Suella Braverman appointed UK's new Home Secretary, in London on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/ANI pic service)

The fight had been labelled by media commentators here as the “Battle of Waterlooville”, after the town in Hampshire at the heart of the redrawn boundaries…reports Asian Lite News

Britain’s Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has won a key contest with a fellow Conservative Party member of Parliament to be selected as the candidate for her redrawn constituency.

The 43-year-old senior Cabinet minister, of Goan and Tamil heritage, had a face-off with fellow Tory MP Flick Drummond in an internal party vote on Wednesday over who gets to contest from a new proposed constituency of Fareham and Waterlooville in Hampshire in the next general election – expected in 2024.

Under the Boundary Commission of England’s changes, Braverman’s original seat of Fareham in south-east England is being re-carved and Drummond’s Meon Valley is being scrapped under the new parliamentary boundaries.

“I am honoured and humbled to have been adopted by Conservatives members to be their Parliamentary Candidate for the new Fareham and Waterlooville constituency,” Braverman tweeted soon after the vote – which she reportedly won 77 to 54.

“I thank my Parliamentary colleague Flick Drummond MP for her excellent work for the people of Meon Valley,” she said.

The fight had been labelled by media commentators here as the “Battle of Waterlooville”, after the town in Hampshire at the heart of the redrawn boundaries.

Drummond said she was “incredibly disappointed” by the election result but said she would “continue to be Meon Valley MP” until the next election, a position she has held since 2019.

The selection vote comes as a number of constituency changes have been proposed across England as part of the 2023 Boundary Review, the final recommendations of which are due to be presented to the UK Parliament by July 1 to be adopted ahead of the next general election. The Boundary Commission for England says it has closed its “final consultation” and that it is analysing the feedback received.

Braverman’s victory came soon after the UK Home Office announced that it would be using a barge, or a docked vessel at Portland Port in Dorset, south-west England, to accommodate illegal migrants and asylum seekers in the UK.

The move is aimed at reducing the reliance on “expensive hotels” and to deliver what the government says would be a “more orderly, cost effective and sustainable asylum accommodation system”. The UK government says it costs the British taxpayer over GBP 6 million a day to house illegal migrants in hotels while their asylum claims are processed and want to find alternatives to cut down on costs.

Now the barge, called the Bibby Stockholm, will accommodate about 500 single adult males whilst their asylum claims are processed. The Home Office says it will provide basic and functional accommodation, and healthcare provision, catering facilities and 24/7 security will be in place on board, to minimise the disruption to local communities. People whose claims are refused and have exhausted their appeal rights will be removed from the UK.

ALSO READ-Pakistan warns Braverman over remarks

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India News Politics

‘Seniority does not guarantee party ticket’

Under Modi’s leadership the BJP has ruined the country’s economy, small and medium scale industries have suffered a lot and many have closed down…reports Asian Lite News

Only those who work for and fight for people are guaranted a Congress party ticket to contest elections, was the clear message from the party’s former president and leader Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi, while addressing the party’s tribal leaders in Dahod, spelt out the party strategy for the tribal leaders. “Tribals main issues are forest, land and water, from party workers to senior leaders every one will have to stand with them, fight for them, one has to reach out to them through door to door campaign, covering each village.” He added that only sincere workers and fighters are guaranted a party ticket, seniority does not guarantee a ticket, no work no ticket.

Without naming the Statue of Unity, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has developed some symbols at the cost of adivasis, these symbols have ruined local tribals lives, it has not benefitted them. Congress workers need to fight for them, tribals are fighting against the river interlinking project, Congress workers and leaders will have to fight for their cause.

Under Modi’s leadership the BJP has ruined the country’s economy, small and medium scale industries have suffered a lot and many have closed down. SME is the spine of the Indian economy, generating lakhs and crores of jobs, without it Modi government cannot generate employment in Gujarat or the nation, claimed the Congress leader.

Giving a morale booster dose, Gandhi said this time the Congress has a better chance to win the elections than 2017. It is up to you to ensure it, if you enter the war field with a mindset that Congress can’t do it, you will fail, but if you start the fight with confidence and faith in yourself that you can win, the Congress will make it. You all need to understand the BJP and the media will run a campaign that the Congress can’t do it, you have to prove them wrong, he added.

ALSO READ-‘Congress needs leadership, collective will to fix structural problems’

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Kerala Politics

Kerala CPI-M busy finalising top party posts


Of the two, Jayarajan hails from Kannur- the bastion of the CPI-M and is said to be closer to Vijayan than Balan is…reports Asian Lite News

After the 23rd CPI-M Party Congress in Kannur, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is now busy finalising posts for top leaders who are yet to be accommodated.

In the offing are powerful posts like Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor, political secretary to Vijayan, editor of party organ ‘Deshabhimani’ and also the re-constitution of the central secretariat based in Delhi.

A.Vijayaraghavan was the LDF convenor and with he being inducted into the politburo, the likely front runners to this post include former state minister’s E.P.Jayarajan and A.K.Balan.

Of the two, Jayarajan hails from Kannur- the bastion of the CPI-M and is said to be closer to Vijayan than Balan is.

Balan’s trump card is that he hails from the Scheduled Caste community and of late the CPI-M has been playing the communal and caste card quite well, by inducting a Dalit in the politburo for the first time.

The next post that is up for grabs is that of political secretary to Vijayan, as Puthelethu Dinesan has been inducted to the state secretariat of the party and those in the running include former political secretary to then chief minister E.K.Nayanar- P.Sasi, M.V.Jayarajan, who in the Vijayan’s first term for a few years held the post is also in consideration and both of them hail from Kannur.

Then comes the nominees to the central secretariat and high on the list is two time former Lok Sabha member P.K.Biju, also a Dalit.

Then comes the decorative post of editor of party organ ‘Deshabhimani’ and it’s here that no finality has come.

Among those who have missed out includes three former powerful state ministers – Thomas Isaac, G.Sudhakaran and J.Mercykutty.

Of the three, while Isaac and Sudhakaran did not contest the 2021 Assembly elections after they fell into the category of contesting the past consecutive elections and had to make way, Mercykutty met her waterloo at her home turf Kundara constituency in Kollam district.

The only qualification now to any party post is how close one is to Vijayan, as his decision is the final word in the government.

ALSO READ-Why language row doesn’t impact Kerala  

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-Top News UK News

Sunak admits attending controversial lockdown party

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street)

He acknowledged that the scandal surrounding parties during lockdown at Downing Street had damaged the public’s trust in the government, reports the Mirror…reports Asian Lite News

Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak has reportedly admitted to attending Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s lockdown birthday party in 2020 but refused to say what happened when he entered the room and claimed that he was in the Cabinet Room for a Covid meeting.

Johnson’s five aides, including longstanding policy chief Munira Mirza, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, and communications director Jack Doyle, resigned from their posts within hours of each other on Thursday, after a damning investigation revealed that multiple parties took place at Downing Street while the rest of the United Kingdom was living under strict Covid lockdown rules.

Sunak, who lives next door to the Prime Minister in Downing Street, is also reported to have attended a surprise birthday party for Johnson in No. 10’s Cabinet Room in June 2020.

He acknowledged that the scandal surrounding parties during lockdown at Downing Street had damaged the public’s trust in the government, reports the Mirror.

But, the Indian-origin Chancellor said, he believed his plans to deal with the cost of living crisis would help restore it.

Officers from the Met Police are investigating a total of 12 Downing Street parties.

It is believed that as many as six of those could have been attended by the Prime Minister.

Sack Sunak, cabinet colleague reportedly tells PM

One cabinet colleague is reported to have asked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack Rishi Sunak, the capable Indian-origin Chancellor of the Exchequer in the same government. Two other ministers are said to have warned the Premier the Sunak is “on manoeuvres” for leadership of the ruling Conservative party. Both revelations were carried prominently by the Independent newspaper published out of London.

Meanwhile, The Observer, a Sunday paper, headlined: “Johnson’s removal is now inevitable, warns loyalist.” Sir Charles Walker said in an interview: “It is an inevitable tragedy. He (Johnson) is a student of Greek and Roman (for he studies Classics at Oxford University). It is going to end in him going, so I just want him to have some agency in that.” Earlier in the week, he told Channel Four News he would be stepping down as MP.

He added: “It is just not going to get better.” Sir Charles is a former Vice Chairman of the powerful ‘1922 Committee’ of backbench Conservative MPs, who are vested with the role of conducting leadership contests in the event there is a motion of no confidence in an incumbent prime minister. For a motion to be triggered, 15 per cent of the party’s MPs – 54 on the basis of its present strength in the House of Commons – have to demand such a vote.

The Independent had a different take on “partygate”, though, which has plagued Johnson for nearly two months. Conservatives MPs it spoke to, expressed the view that an “accidental” or premature no confidence vote could go in Johnson’s favour. This means MPs are hesitant to bring him down before London’s Metropolitan Police’s investigation into whether Covid-19 lockdown laws were broken by the 12 “parties” at the Prime Minister’s office-cum-residence at 10 Downing Street is complete. The outcome of this is expected in about a week. There are indications Johnson was present in at least three of the gatherings.

Under Conservative party rules, a leadership contest cannot take place more than once a year. In other words, if Johnson survives an early test, he cannot be challenged for another year.

While he promised a shake-up at Downing Street after a redacted report on “partygate” by senior civil servant Sue Grey found that Covid-19 rules had been serially violated within its premises, he was rocked by resignations of five close and senior aides before the weekend. His effort to bring in new staff have since apparently floundered.

Unusually for Britain, he brought in fellow minister Steve Barclay as chief of staff, a post generally occupied by a bureaucrat. This gave the impression civil servants are not keen to take up positions at the centre of political power as they possibly think Johnson’s future is uncertain.

He also appointed a former BBC journalist Guto Harri as director of communications. Harri worked with him in the same capacity when he was Mayor of London, In between, this Welshman has been a critic of Johnson, once warning publicly he would be a “divisive” Prime Minister.

Information filtering out of Downing Street over the weekend spoke of Johnson adopting a bunker mentality. Insiders were quoted as saying he had become “unpredictable and erratic”.

Lawmaker submits letter of no confidence in PM

Aaron Bell, a British lawmaker in the ruling Conservatives, said on Friday he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson, saying the prime minister’s handling of Downing Street lockdown parties had made his position untenable.

Johnson could face a vote of no confidence in his leadership if 54 of his 360 Conservative lawmakers submit a letter to the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee.

Bell said he was profoundly disappointed in the situation after he backed Johnson to become leader.

“However the breach of trust that the events in No. 10 Downing Street represent, and the manner in which they have been handled, makes his position untenable,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

ALSO READ-Queen joins select group of longest-reigning monarchs

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-Top News UK News

Boris slams criticism as party allegations escalate

Johnson faced multiple questions from opposition MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday over fresh allegations of parties during the coronavirus lockdown…reports Asian Lite News

Boris Johnson dismissed criticism about the conduct of his government after further reports of parties in Downing Street during lockdown prompted renewed pressure within his ruling Conservative Party for him to resign.

The U.K. prime minister told the House of Commons on Wednesday that it was “more vital than ever” for the government “to get on with the job” — pointing to a long-awaited plan to reduce economic inequality, and his efforts to help ease tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

But he faced fresh turmoil on Wednesday when Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons defense committee, joined rebels in submitting a letter to the influential 1922 committee calling for a vote of no-confidence in Johnson’s leadership. That came hours after the premier returned from Kyiv after talks with the Ukrainian leadership.

The relentless flow of allegations of rule-breaking gatherings, dubbed “Partygate” by the U.K. media, has damaged Johnson’s standing within his Conservative Party, and the danger for the prime minister is that enough of Ellwood’s colleagues are also persuaded to submit letters. If the total reaches 54 — or 15% of the party’s MPs — it will trigger a no-confidence vote in the premier.

So far about a dozen Tories have publicly either called for Johnson to go or said they’ve written a letter. Tory MPs Andrew Mitchell, a former cabinet minister, and Peter Aldous also this week called on him to quit. But many others have said they’re reserving judgment until a police inquiry into 12 gatherings reaches its conclusion.

Johnson faced multiple questions from opposition MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday over fresh allegations of parties during the coronavirus lockdown. The Telegraph reported that he was seen heading up to his flat on Nov. 13, 2020, when a gathering was held which is now being investigated by the police. The Guardian said he’d attended another boozy leaving do for staff in January 2021.

Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party’s Westminster leader, branded Johnson a “dangerous distraction at home and a running joke on the international stage.” The premier said he could not comment on alleged gatherings while the Metropolitan Police was investigating.

The police probe into potential criminal offenses — which could take weeks or even months –has delayed the publication of the full findings of a civil service inquiry by the senior official Sue Gray. Johnson’s official spokesman Max Blain told reporters in a regular briefing Wednesday the prime minister had not yet been contacted by police for interview.

Gray’s final report and the police investigation will provide moments of danger for the prime minister and ensure the lockdown parties remain in the public eye.

In an attempt to shift the narrative, Johnson’s government on Wednesday fleshed out his vision to “level up” Britain — a key catchphrase in the Conservative Party’s election-winning campaign of 2019 — and said it would move many decision-making powers away from London and seek to boost pay and productivity in the U.K.’s most deprived regions.

Key measures in the plan include creating more local mayors, a commitment to boost public investment outside the south-east of England and regenerate town centers, according to a statement from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

ALSO READ-Johnson dials Putin to discuss Ukraine

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-Top News London News UK News

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.

ALSO READ-UK PM denies lying about lockdown party

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-Top News UK News

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.

ALSO READ-Boris knew about lockdown party, says former adviser

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-Top News UK News

Gathering at PM’s residence wasn’t a party, says Raab

“I genuinely don’t think it gets classified as a party,” Raab said. “I don’t think it was a party.”…reports Asian Lite News.

A photograph of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and more than a dozen other people drinking wine in the garden of his Downing Street residence during a lockdown last year does not show a party, his deputy said on Monday.

The picture, published by the Guardian, shows Johnson with his wife Carrie, who appears to be holding their newborn son, and two other people at a table on a terrace in the Downing Street garden with cheese and wine.

Nearby is another table of four other people, and a short distance away are a larger group standing on the grass around a table with bottles of wine.

“Downing Street use that garden as a place of work,” Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Times Radio. “That’s not against the regulations.”

“I genuinely don’t think it gets classified as a party,” Raab said. “I don’t think it was a party.”

The scenes depicted in the photograph add to the scrutiny on Johnson following revelations that his staff held a series of gatherings during COVID-19 lockdowns while the population was being told not to mix with others.

He has faced a barrage of criticism since a video emerged showing his staff laughing and joking about a Downing Street party during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned.

Raab said the new photograph was taken on a day when the government had just held news conference and that sometimes staff had a drink after a long day in the garden. It was a work gathering, he said.

Johnson’s wife Carrie, Raab said, had popped down from the Downing Street flat to spend some time with her husband.

Besides anger over alleged parties, Johnson is grappling with a rebellion inside his party over the direction of his government which critics say is chaotic and has dramatically expanded the power of the state.

Brexit minister David Frost resigned on Saturday over disillusionment with the direction of the government.

“You know my concerns about the current direction of travel,” Frost told Johnson in a resignation letter released by Downing Street.

“I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change.”

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