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PARTYGATE ROCKS BRITISH POLITICS

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

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, have apologised after London’s Metropolitan Police announced they will fine the duo for attending rule-breaking gatherings during the Covid-19 lockdown

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, have apologised after London’s Metropolitan Police announced they will fine the duo for attending rule-breaking gatherings during the Covid-19 lockdown, in an episode which has been dubbed as the ‘partygate’.

Johnson, who initially denied he was in breach of any law, now acknowledged that he indeed was, but refused to step down. “It didn’t occur to me that, as I say, that I was in breach of the rules. I now humbly accept that I was. I think the best thing I can do now is, having settled the fine, is focus on the job, and that’s what I am going to do,” the premier said.

Police have been investigating as many as 12 parties at Johnson’s Downing Street office and the Cabinet Office, including a gathering on the occasion of his 56th birthday on June 19, 2020.

Sunak, meanwhile, issued an ‘unreserved apology’ for attending the same birthday party. “I deeply regret the frustration and anger that I caused, and I’m sorry. I understand the anger that many will feel that I, myself, fell short when it came to observing the very rules which the government I lead had introduced to protect the public,” said the 41-year-old leader in a televised interview.

The fines against Johnson and Sunak are among the three announced by the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday, all in connection with the 57-year-old Johnson’s birthday celebration event. In all, the police said, more than 50 fines will be issued.

This is believed to be the first time when a sitting British Prime Minister has been found to be in violation of a law.

In recent days, Johnson has been an active participant in global efforts to end the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine; last week, he made a surprise visit to Kyiv, the war-torn nation’s capital, to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President.

Sunak, meanwhile, has been fighting allegations that his wife, Akshata, the daughter of Indian billionaire Narayana Murthy, has a ‘non-domicile status’ for the UK’s tax purposes. An individual who has such a status does not have to pay tax to the UK government for their income from outside Britain.

ALSO READ: Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak fined for breaking Covid rules

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PARTYGATE: Top Tories Rule Out Resignation

Opposition demand recalling parliament for vote of no confidence on Prime Minister Boris Johnson … writes Anasudhin Azeez

Opposition Labour Party and Liberal Democrats seek immediate recalling of Parliament to discuss the Partygate fines and cost of living as inflation crosses 7 per cent.

Opposition parties accused Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak of lying to the public about their attendance at the Downing Street gathering. Both Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak apologised, but rule out resignation.

A spokesperson for the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, said she had accepted the police’s findings and “apologises unreservedly.”

Mr Johnson said he felt “an even greater sense of obligation to deliver on the priorities of the British people”, while the chancellor said he was “focused on delivering for the British people”.

Mr Johnson said that he accepted “in all sincerity that people had the right to expect better” from him.

He claimed the event he was fined for attending – a gathering in the Cabinet Room to mark his birthday – was “brief” and lasted “less than 10 minutes”.

Boris Johnson hosts the Prime Ministers Business Council alongside the Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer and leading business figures in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

“In all frankness, at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules,” he added. “But, of course, the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “This is the first time in our country’s history that a Prime Minister has been found guilty of breaking the law – at a time when Britain made unimaginable sacrifices. And then lied about it.  Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have dishonoured their office. They must resign. The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better.

This is the first time in our country’s history that a Prime Minister has been found guilty of breaking the law – at a time when Britain made unimaginable sacrifices. And then lied about it.  Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have dishonoured their office. They must resign. The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better.

Sir Keir Starmer, Labour Leader

The Liberal Democrats are calling for Parliament to be recalled immediately so MPs can hold a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

“The country cannot have criminals and liars leading our Government, especially at a time of national and international crisis,” said Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat Leader.  “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak took the country’s sacrifices for granted, while they broke the law to party in Downing Street. They are not fit to hold office. If they had a shred of decency, they would resign.

 “Parliament should be recalled immediately so that MPs can hold a vote of no confidence. Conservative MPs must do their patriotic duty and kick these criminals out of Government once and for all.”

The SNP also led calls for Parliament to return from its Easter break so the PM and chancellor could face questions from MPs. But a raft of cabinet ministers publicly back Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak – including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said they were “delivering for Britain on many fronts”.

Deputy Prime minister Dominic Rabb said: The PM has accepted the Met’s decision & apologised. I fully support the PM & Chancellor as they focus on maintaining the UK’s international leadership against Russian brutality in Ukraine, and delivering our recovery from the pandemic for the British people at home.

This is very poor judgment by the person who is meant more than anyone to uphold the rule of law. Silence was a better option. Next time a criminal accepts the Met’s decision & apologises, I doubt very much the Lord chancellor will be accepting the apology.

Nazir Afzal, former chief of the Crown Prosecution Service in the North West

Meanwhile, Nazir Afzal, former chief of the Crown Prosecution Service in the North West said: This is very poor judgment by the person who is meant more than anyone to uphold the rule of law. Silence was a better option. Next time a criminal accepts the Met’s decision & apologises, I doubt very much the Lord chancellor will be accepting the apology.

The Prime MinisterBoris Johnson is joined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak as they make their way up the staircase of No10 Downing Street to give a press conference on the Coronavirus. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

The fines come as part of an investigation by the Metropolitan Police into illegal parties held in Downing Street and across Whitehall during Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. The force is looking into 12 parties overall, and has already issued more than 50 fines, with more expected to come.

The SNP’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said the two leading Tories had “insulted the millions of people who faithfully followed the rules”.

Plaid Cymru’s Commons leader Liz Saville Roberts accused Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak of having an “arrogant sense of exceptionalism and a belief in their own entitlement”.

“If they have any honour they will resign,” she said.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said that both had broken “the very laws they made to try and keep this country safe in a pandemic and must now resign”.

ALSO READ: Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak fined for breaking Covid rules

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Met issues first 20 fines in ‘Partygate’ probe

The Met’s statement on the first tranche of fines has once again prompted leaders of opposition parties to renew calls for Johnson’s resignation…reports Asian Lite News

British police said on Tuesday that they would issue 20 fixed penalty notices (FPN) over breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules at gatherings in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s offices and residence at Downing Street.

“We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of COVID-19 regulations. The ACRO Criminal Records Office will then be responsible for issuing the FPNs to the individual following the referrals from the MPS,” the Metropolitan Police Service (Met) said in a statement.

The Met didn’t disclose the names of the individuals being fined and added that they would not confirm the number of referrals from each individual event subject to their investigation as “providing a breakdown at this point may lead to the identification of the individuals.”

Parties held at Downing Street in 2020 and 2021 have enraged the British public who were asked to follow coronavirus restrictions for many months over the past two years to curb the spread of COVID-19. Johnson’s premiership has been precarious following the revelation of these illicit gatherings, with calls from opposition parties and even members of his own Conservative Party for him to resign.

The Met launched an investigation at the end of January into 12 alleged events that include a boozy garden party on May 20, 2020, during the country’s first COVID-19 lockdown, which Johnson said he mistook for a work event, as well as a birthday party given to him on June 19, 2020.

Senior civil servant Sue Gray, who led a separate Whitehall probe into the allegations, said in a report released on Jan. 31 that there were “failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No. 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times.”

The Met’s statement on the first tranche of fines has once again prompted leaders of opposition parties to renew calls for Johnson’s resignation.

“After over two months of police time, 12 parties investigated and over 100 people questioned under caution, Boris Johnson’s Downing Street has been found guilty of breaking the law,” said Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the main opposition Labour Party, in a statement.

“The culture is set from the very top. The buck stops with the prime minister, who spent months lying to the British public, which is why he has got to go,” she said.

“We all know who is responsible. The prime minister must resign, or Conservative MPs must sack him,” Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey said in a statement. (ANI/Xinhua)

ALSO READ-Boris brings in new staffers to move past ‘partygate’ scandal

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Boris brings in new staffers to move past ‘partygate’ scandal

A total of 16 parties have been investigated by a senior civil servant, Sue Gray, with a dozen of them also under investigation by the Metropolitan Police…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has brought in new senior staffers as he tries to restore his flagging authority — including a communications chief who has called lockdown-breaching government parties “unforgivable.”

The prime minister hired Guto Harri, an aide from his days as London mayor who has recently been critical of Johnson, to try to regain control of the government’s messaging after weeks of turmoil that have led some in the ruling Conservatives to call for his removal. He also appointed a senior Cabinet minister, Steve Barclay, as his new chief of staff.

Visiting a hospital cancer center on Monday outside London, Johnson said he was “completely focused” on clearing a backlog of millions of medical procedures built up during the pandemic. It’s one of a pile of critical issues, including a squeeze on household finances from inflation and a looming tax hike, that are being overshadowed by Johnson’s personal woes.

 “I think what people want is for the government to focus, not on stuff going on at (the government district of) Westminster, but to focus on life … beyond Westminster, and to focus on the needs of the country,” Johnson said. “And that is what we’re doing.”

Johnson’s grip on power has been shaken by public anger over revelations that his staff held “bring your own booze” office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays” in 2020 and 2021, while millions in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family because of his government’s Covid-19 restrictions.

A total of 16 parties have been investigated by a senior civil servant, Sue Gray, with a dozen of them also under investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

In an interim report last week into the four parties not under criminal investigation, Gray found that “failures of leadership and judgment” enabled events to occur that “should not have been allowed to take place” and described a Downing Street operation marked by excessive drinking and dysfunctional dynamics.

Johnson apologized — without admitting personal wrongdoing — and pledged to fix the problems in his office.

But on Friday he was rocked by the departure of five senior staff, including his chief of staff, his communications director and his policy director, Munira Mirza. Mirza, a loyal longtime aide, stood by the prime minister amid the “partygate” revelations. But she said Johnson’s “scurrilous accusation” this week that an opposition leader had failed to stop a notorious pedophile was the final straw.

Johnson responded to the departures with a Downing Street shakeup that included the eye-catching appointment of Harri, a former BBC journalist who worked for Johnson at City Hall from 2008 to 2012 but has more recently criticized him. In 2018, Harri called Johnson “sexually incontinent,” and in 2020 he said government communications during the pandemic had been “a masterclass in incompetence.” Last month Harri said reports of parties in Downing Street while Britain was in lockdown were “unforgivable,” though also “understandable in some ways.”

Harri told a Welsh-language news site that Johnson greeted him on his first day by singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”

The staff moves are intended to reassure Conservative lawmakers who are debating whether to seek a no-confidence vote in the leader who won them a big parliamentary majority just over two years ago.

Under party rules, a no-confidence vote is triggered if 15% of party lawmakers — currently 54 people — write letters calling for one. If Johnson lost such a vote, he would be replaced as party leader and prime minister.

Only 15 of the 360 Conservative legislators have publicly called for Johnson to quit, though the number who have written letters is likely higher.

Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, who has already said he will run for leader if Johnson is ousted, said the prime minister’s fate depended on “how the reset goes.”

He said “there’s an awful lot of talent going in,” but also “an awful lot of talent coming out.”

ALSO READ-Boris ‘sorry’ after ‘partygate’

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Johnson promises cooperation in ‘partygate’ probe

If questioned, Johnson would be only the second sitting British prime minister to be quizzed as part of a formal police probe, reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday vowed to cooperate with police in any formal probe into coronavirus lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street, which has deepened the threat to his position.

“I welcome the Met’s decision to conduct its own investigation because I believe this will give the public the clarity it needs and help draw a line under the matter,” he told parliament.

Allegations that a string of parties were held at Downing Street while the rest of the country abided by the rules have shaken Johnson’s government, prompting the worst crisis of his premiership and calls for him to quit.

London’s Metropolitan Police have faced widespread criticism for refusing to investigate a steady drip of allegations over the last two years.

But Met commissioner Cressida Dick confirmed to the London Assembly that had now changed, raising the prospect of formal interviews and potentially criminal sanctions.

But she told the local authority: “The fact that we are now investigating does not of course mean that fixed penalty notices (fines) will necessarily be issued in every instance to every person involved.”

If questioned, Johnson would be only the second sitting British prime minister to be quizzed as part of a formal police probe.

Labour prime minister Tony Blair was interviewed as a witness in a police investigation into “cash for honours” allegations. Police announced in 2007 that no charges would be brought.

A senior civil servant, Sue Gray, has already begun conducting an investigation into the “partygate” claims and is expected to publish her conclusions in the coming days.

Johnson’s spokesman said her fact-finding work not related to the police investigation would continue.

“They (Gray and her team) won’t publish anything that relates to the work of the police,” he said, adding that Johnson “does not” think he broke the law during lockdown.

Internal probe

Gray’s investigation is understood to include claims revealed on Monday night that Johnson broke lockdown rules by having a birthday party at Downing Street on June 19, 2020.

Up to 30 people were present, ITV News alleged. At the time, social gatherings were only permitted between six people outside.

Johnson — Britain’s populist Brexit architect — has faced public outrage and charges of hypocrisy over the parties, given that millions of people abided by the rules he set.

Many highlighted how they missed significant birthdays themselves due to social distancing, and were unable to comfort sick and dying loved ones struck down with Covid.

A tweet from Johnson re-emerged from March 2020 in which he told a seven-year-old girl she was setting a “great example to us all” after she cancelled her birthday party.

London’s Labour party mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the police investigation.

“Members of the public must be able to expect the highest standards from everyone, including the prime minister and those around him,” he added.

“No one is above the law. There cannot be one rule for the government and another for everyone else.”

Public confidence

Dick declined to give a timeframe for the investigation or say whether the Met would be taking witness statements from police stationed at Downing Street.

She also refused to say whether police would be examining security camera footage from Downing Street, where Johnson has both an office and a residence.

Supporters of Johnson in his Conservative party have played down the latest revelations and the threat to his position, just over two years after a landslide election win.

Instead, they point to his success in securing Britain’s exit from the European Union, and his work on securing vaccines to combat Covid-19.

But Jonathan Evans, the head of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said recent government corruption and cronyism claims had the potential to undermine public trust.

He warned there could be a “political price to pay” if ministers and public servants ignored people’s expectations of behaviour.

ALSO READ-Boris Faces Exit From No 10