Boris Johnson has faced a new scandal after revelations that a senior government official. The first Covid-19 quarantine had sent out invitations to dozens of Prime Minister’s office staff attending a party. Thanks to Tories’ double standards during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the pressure on Johnson to resign has severely intensified.
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Martin Reynolds, the PM’s principal private secretary, via an email, invited more than 100 staff members of the Prime Ministerial Complex to attend a May 20, 2020, party at 10 Downing Street garden. In this leaked email, he asked the guests to bring their alcoholic beverages to the party and enjoy the most pleasant weather.” In the email published for the first time on ITV, Reynolds wrote to the invitees: “Please join us from 6 pm and bring your booze.” At the Downing Street party, severe restrictions and quarantine were in place in the UK, and it was even ordered that more than two people be barred from gathering outdoors.
Tories’ Double Standards
During the holiday, Boris Johnson was pictured with his wife and 17 staff at Downing Street Gardens, with wine and a cheeseboard, raising questions about No. 10 insisting on a “business meeting.” The Guardian wrote that No. 10 denied a social event on Friday, May 15, 2020, involving wine, alcohol and pizza inside and outside the building. A Johnson spokesman said Downing Street staff work in the garden in the afternoon and evening. However, the prospect raises questions about this claim. Wine bottles are on display, there is no social distance, and 19 people gather in groups on the terrace and lawn of Downing Street.
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, who appear to be holding their newborn baby, sit around a table with a tray of cheese and wine next to two people believed to be a government employee and an assistant.
Schools were still closed at the time, and pubs and restaurants were closed, with tight controls on social composition. More people were allowed to return to work. Still, the guide said that a 2-meter social distance should always be observed and that “only those who are necessary should attend the meetings and observe a 2-meter distance.” That day, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a news conference at 5 pm that people should follow the rules and not use the good weather on May weekends to socialize with the group.
Social Outrage
The revelation follows a series of scandals over illegal celebrations inside and around the prime minister’s building. The scandals have sparked public outrage over the Johnson administration’s actions, eroding the Conservative Party’s popularity in opinion polls and putting its actions as prime minister under the microscope. The revelations have sparked public outrage over Johnson’s policies and activities, which sparked much controversy following the first report on Christmas celebrations at the prime minister’s office last December. Meanwhile, 66 per cent of those polled in a new poll by the Savanta ComRes polling centre said Johnson should step down after the revelation.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nadim Baba reported that many British citizens were now making fun of the prime minister after Johnson made excuses. “People are generally angry at the Conservative Party,” he said. A poll released on Friday showed that the opposition Labour Party was ahead of the ruling Conservative Party with 42% of the vote. On Friday, people wearing Johnson’s masks called for Johnson’s resignation, the report said.
Conservative Blame
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Boris Johnson should step down if he has violated quarantine rules. Ross also said he would not support Boris Johnson if he attended the ceremony and then resigned voluntarily. The British government has told the media that Johnson will not resign.
The Guardian quoted Douglas Ross saying that conservative lawmakers were considering a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson. Ross also noted that what infuriates him is that when other British people could not meet their dying or hospitalized relatives, “Downing Street staff enjoyed the sun and talked about drinking.”
Meanwhile, some of Johnson’s party members have publicly criticized him. A Conservative member and former government adviser, Johnny Mercer, described the Johnson administration as “humiliating” and said it did not reflect the behaviour of other colleagues. However, Johnson said he attended the rally for 25 minutes before entering the building for work. He said he believes the gathering was a business event, but he should send participants in with foresight.
Labours’ Position
Opposition leader Keir Starmer said the British prime minister’s excuse that he did not know he was at a party was ridiculous and insulting. The Labour leader went on to ask whether the prime minister would resign. Johnson declined to comment on reports that he and his wife, Carrie Johnson, were present. He said he would not comment further because an investigation was underway. If a minister breaks the ministry’s law, he is expected to resign.
Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, described the Downing Street party as a “slap in the face to the British people”. She added: The Prime Minister has faced a series of accusations of partying and associating in No. 10 while Covid restrictions were imposed. He was forced to order a civil service investigation, although his manager resigned on Christmas Eve charges. “It’s heartbreaking to see this picture of people who spent the first wave of the epidemic on the front lines of our health care, the loss of loved ones, the suffering of loneliness, the loss of a funeral,” Rayner said.
Late Apology
A quarantine violation on Downing Street forced Johnson’s office to apologize to Queen Elizabeth on Friday. On Wednesday, Johnson apologized to the British Parliament for participating in what he called a “business event.” In the latest London scandal unfolding in recent days, the Boris Johnson administration held two separate parties on the night of the Queen’s husband’s funeral.
Is It Time to Say Goodbye?
Johnson’s allies point to the prime minister’s achievements in defending him, including leaving the European Union. Still, Labour leader Keir Starmer said the country witnessed a failed prime minister who was deceived and could not lead the country. “We are not out of the covid epidemic, and we need a government that has the moral authority to lead, and our Prime Minister has lost it,” he said. “Of course, moral authority is important in the fight against the coronavirus, but there are other challenges in this country,” he said.
The Conservative MPs’ mass uprising over Covid laws, followed by a historic election defeat and the surprise resignation of Secretary-General David Frost, has been described as the worst week of his term as prime minister.
Futile Resignation
After revealing a video to ITV, Johnson ordered the investigation showing participants laughing at wine and cheese at a Christmas party and offering to hold it as a business meeting. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case resigned as leader of the investigation after it emerged that his office was having a Christmas party and was replaced by another senior official, Sue Gary.
conclusion
With each passing day, another event seems to add to the growing bias of investigations into alleged illegal gatherings on Downing Street. Boris Johnson‘s government is run with the view that it is one law for them and another for others. He is not in a position to lead our country.
“Once again, we see that conservatives think this is one law for them and another law for others,” said Kristen Oswald, SNP deputy Westminster. The published photo of Johnson’s party has raised more questions. Further, it undermines public confidence because Downing Street denies holding the rally. After it became clear that the Cabinet and the Prime Minister had held both parties and gatherings and that the others had been told to follow the restrictions of the Coronavirus at the time. No other government employee will do it – the Conservatives are defining their duties. We need an independent arbitrator to handle this investigation – without debt to the British government – to ensure transparency and everything.
Earlier, the media reported that cocaine use had been detected in 11 of the 12 cases surveyed in the parliament building, including a toilet near Boris Johnson’s office.
