After being penalised for breaching his government’s pandemic lockdown regulations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to quit, instead vowing to redouble his efforts to rebuild the economy and confront Russian aggression in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, London police fined Johnson and others for attending the prime minister’s birthday celebration at his Downing Street offices on June 19, 2020. Johnson became the first British prime minister to be found guilty of breaking the law while in office as a result of the punishment.
To combat the spread of Covid-19, gatherings of more than two individuals were outlawed in Britain during the birthday party.
“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. And I accept in all sincerity that people had the right to expect better,” Johnson said late Tuesday. “And now I feel an even greater sense of obligation to deliver on the priorities of the British people.”
The punishment came after a police probe and months of inquiries about lockdown-breaking parties at government buildings, which Johnson had sought to dismiss by claiming there were no parties and that no regulations had been breached.
Opposition members sought Johnson’s resignation, claiming that the penalties imposed on him and Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak demonstrated “criminality” at the highest levels of government. The opposition said that Johnson and his followers assumed the laws didn’t apply to them since they gathered on Downing Street.
A Conservative member of the House of Lords resigned as justice minister on Wednesday, citing “continuous rule-breaking and criminal law violations in Downing Street.”
In a letter to Johnson, David Wolfson said, “It is not merely an issue of what transpired in Downing Street, or your personal behaviour.” “It’s also, and maybe more importantly, the official reaction to what happened.”
While Johnson’s government is threatened by the “partygate” controversy, the world has altered dramatically since the first allegations of the parties broke late last year.
Johnson has played a key role in rallying worldwide opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the United Kingdom is experiencing its worst inflation since the 1950s. His supporters are already saying that, whatever the prime minister has done wrong, this is not the time to call for a leadership election.
Because Sunak was viewed as the top Conservative contender to succeed Johnson, the fact that his Treasury chief earned an undermining punishment benefits Johnson.
Johnson, on the other hand, might face extra penalties. He is said to have attended three further events, all of which are still being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.
According to Jill Rutter, a senior fellow at the Institute for Government in London, he will also have to face questions regarding whether he willfully deceived Parliament with his prior claims about the parties.
“Governments must recognise that they cannot just pass laws and then argue that everything is OK because they are extremely important individuals at the core of government,” Rutter added.
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