Tory ministers have rallied around Boris Johnson after police were found to have broken his own rules for Covid, making him the first prime minister to face criminal sanctions while in power. His cabinet, including Brexit Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and Secretary of State Liz Truss, lined up to defend Johnson as he faced calls to resign after being fined for a party on June 19, 2020 to celebrate his 56th birthday. with many using Russia’s war against Ukraine to move the issue forward. Earlier, Mr Johnson said it was “not in his mind” that the merger could violate Covid rules, while Risi Sunak said he understood that “for people in public office, the rules must be strictly enforced in order to to maintain public confidence “. However, a YouGov poll found that 57 per cent of voters believe the prime minister and chancellor should resign, and about 75 per cent of those polled believe Mr Johnson knowingly lied to Parliament about violating them. lockdown rules, with just 12 percent saying they did not. .
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Tory MP claims Boris Johnson “did not break the law”
Tory MP Shailesh Vara claims that Boris Johnson did not break the law, despite the fact that the prime minister was fined by the Met Police for attending his birthday for the lockdown. Speaking to LBC this morning, MP Vara said Downing Street staff were simply celebrating the prime minister’s birthday at an event that lasted “no more than nine minutes”. “My view is that the prime minister has accepted that the police have come to this conclusion, they have fined the prime minister and the chancellor,” Vara said. “I accept the view of the police,” he added. When pressured, however, Mr. Vara found it difficult to say that Boris Johnson had broken the law after being fined for Covid. Thomas Kingsley 13 April 2022 07:17 1649829782
ICYMI: Johnson ‘apologizes’ for breaking Covid laws
Boris Johnson apologized “completely” and confirmed that he had paid a fixed fine for attending a birthday party on Downing Street in June 2020, but insisted that “it did not cross my mind” that he had broken the rules. . Defending himself against allegations that he misled parliament for the No. 10 party, Mr Johnson insisted he “spoke in good faith” when he told the House of Commons that no Covid rule had been violated. Asked if he would resign, he replied: “I want to be able to go up and give the order I have.” Confirming that he had been fined for the birthday party – at which a close ally had previously said he was “ambushed by a cake” – Mr Johnson said: “I have paid the fine and I apologize once again in the spirit of honesty and humility I want to be absolutely clear about what happened on that date. “ I must say with all honesty at that time it did not cross my mind that this may have been a violation of the rules. Boris Johnson Namita Singh13 April 2022 07:03 1649829514
New calls for the resignation of the Prime Minister
Boris Johnson is facing new calls for his resignation after becoming the first incumbent Prime Minister in UK history to be found by police to have broken the law. Labor leader Keir Starmer said the fines showed that the prime minister and chancellor of Rishi Sunak had repeatedly lied about the Partygate scandal, dishonoring both their offices and the sacrifices of the British people. He said, “They must leave.” His call for their resignation was echoed by former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and representatives of families affected by the pandemic, who said the “shameless” prime minister had “taken us all for a drink” and challenged those who lost loved ones. they. While the prime minister immediately paid the fine and offered a “complete apology”, he gave no indication that he was considering resigning. He acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat the rest of the nation, and said that “voters had the right to expect more from him”. Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has the details. Namita Singh13 April 2022 06:58 1649828716
Summary: Why were fines imposed?
The FPNs are associated with parties at No. 10, while London and the rest of the United Kingdom were subject to strict lock-in regulations. Downing Street has now confirmed that Mr. Johnson’s fine is related to a birthday party held for him, while strict restrictions were imposed on Covid to the public. The event, in which a Tory MP said Mr Johnson “fell into an ambush with a cake”, was also attended by Risi Sunak and Carrie Johnson. A police officer stands in front of the door of Downing Street 10 in London, Tuesday, April 12, 2022 (AP) A spokesman for No. 10 said: “The Metropolitan Police have now explained that the FPN issued to the Prime Minister will be related to the following incident:” On June 19, 2020, at Cabinet Room 10 Downing Street, between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm participated in a gathering of two or more people indoors “. Police have made it clear that further fines may also be imposed on those who have already been punished, indicating that they are processing cases by incident rather than individuals. Read the details in this report: Namita Singh13 April 2022 06:45 1649828549
Does the prime minister now have a criminal record?
Following the FNP warnings issued to Boris Johnson, Chancellor Richie Sunak and his wife Carrie Johnson for violating Covid laws during the lockdown, there is speculation that the prime minister will now have a criminal record. Despite the unprecedented development, in what has become the worst scandal to hit the Conservative Party under Mr Johnson’s presidency, it appears he will not have a criminal record. As the Office of Criminal Records (Acro) explains on its website: (PNC). » However, the government agency adds that what can happen is that the details of an offender “are kept by the authorities [local police] power”. Read this report by Sam Hancock for details. Namita Singh13 April 2022 06:42 1649826725
Tory MP Fabricant defended the prime minister, saying “many nurses and teachers” had also broken the law.
Mr Fabricant likened Mr Johnson’s actions, for which he was fined by police on Tuesday, to “many teachers and nurses who, after a very, very long shift, tended to return to the staff room and have a quiet drink. drink”. He added: “Which is more or less what he has done.” Tory MP Michael Fabricant claims “many nurses and teachers” also violated the law Asked about the source of his remarks, which suggest that teachers and nurses were also involved in the lockdown, Mr Fabricant told BBC News: “Well, I know some who did and, you know, it’s very natural. “I was not saying they were partying – I’re not saying Boris Johnson was partying.” Read this report by Emily Atkinson. Namita Singh13 April 2022 06:12 1649826097
The Prime Minister intends to blame Partygate’s misfortunes for wrong advice from his former team
Boris Johnson plans to blame his Partygate misfortunes on false assurances from his old Downing Street team that he was acting under Covid rules, the Independent has learned. Efforts will be made to portray him as a prime minister who was focused and busy in a time of crisis and hardly had time to think. The first signs of this strategy appeared in his statement on Tuesday afternoon. As the prime minister described how sad he was, he was also clear about how busy he was. “And between all these engagements, one day it happened to be my birthday, there was a short gathering in the cabinet room shortly after 2 pm,” the prime minister said. Screengrab was taken from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s PA Video delivering a statement at the Checkers’s Buckinghamshire vacation home after announcing that he and Chancellor Rishi Sunak would be fined as part of a police investigation into allegations of a lockdown party. on Downing Street. (PA) The public relations effort will not seek to suggest that the fines are insignificant — if they start to rise — but will try to position the Partygate scandal against the backdrop of the threat to liberal democracy in the West by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sources familiar with the Downing Street operations said. Read this analysis by Anna Isaac, which demolishes the strategy used by Downing Street to address the growing public backlash against the Prime Minister over the Partygate scandal. Namita Singh13 April 2022 06:01 1649824852
First poll: Three-quarters of voters believe the prime minister deliberately lied to parliament
In the midst of a Conservative-type negative wave around the partygate, there also seems to be a shift in public perception against Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. A new YouGov poll found that about 57 percent of voters believe the prime minister and chancellor should step down, compared with 30 percent and 29 percent, respectively, who said they should continue. Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Chancellor Risi Sunak (PA Wire) For Mr. Johnson, the poll represents a 10 percent increase in those who believe he should step down, compared to a March 8 poll when about 47 percent said he should step down. About 75 percent of those polled believe the prime minister knowingly lied to parliament about breaking the lockdown rules, compared with 12 percent who felt otherwise. Namita Singh13 April 2022 05:40 1649823880
“There is a war”: Tory MPs use Russia’s war against Ukraine to defend the prime minister’s law violation
The Tory MPs lined up to defend Boris Johnson, as they tried to use Russia’s war against Ukraine to advance the debate from …
