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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "Honor and Integrity" are in question
Photo: TOBY MELVILLE / REUTERS
Revelations about another alleged party at the British seat of government during the strict corona lockdown are increasingly causing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to find it difficult to explain.
London police say they are investigating reports that a garden party was held at the government headquarters on Downing Street in May 2020 while the country was in lockdown.
You have contacted the cabinet office, it said on Tuesday.
At the time of the alleged party, violations were punished with fines, and criminal proceedings could be initiated against persistent repeat offenders.
According to ITV News, more than a hundred guests were invited to the garden party on May 20, 2020, including the Prime Minister and his current wife, Carrie.
Accordingly, around 40 government employees accepted the invitation from senior government official Martin Reynolds.
In an email he is said to have suggested "after an unbelievably busy time, take advantage of the beautiful weather and have a few drinks at a distance this evening in the garden of number 10".
And further: "Bring your own alcohol."
At that time, meetings of more than two people, even in the open air, were forbidden. On the day of the party, Minister of Culture Oliver Dowden once again reminded the British of the strict Corona rules: "You can meet someone outside of your household if you keep two meters apart," he said at the time.
Johnson can be represented in parliament
Opposition and representatives of corona victims were outraged on Tuesday. The government should declare itself on Tuesday at a parliamentary session convened at short notice.
At the meeting,
opposition leader Keir Starmer
accused
Johnson of "lying to the British people".
His
deputy, Angela Rayner
, questioned Johnson's "honor and integrity".
The
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon
suggested that he resign.
Johnson did not tell the truth about what had happened; people were appalled by the government's behavior.
The
head of the independent ethics
committee "Committee on Standards in Public Life," Jonathan Evans, spoke of the government's "carelessness" in adhering to moral standards.
British media
, including normally pro-government papers, sharply criticized Johnson.
“Enough, Boris!
End this ridiculous party gate now, "wrote the Daily Express, for example.
Hannah Brady, of a coronavirus survivor
's association, said Tuesday that it made her "sick" to imagine that Downing Street employees "partied" a few days after her father's death when they, as mourners, did not even have theirs Allowed to hug friends.
Johnson himself did not get into Parliament.
He was represented by government representative Michael Ellis.
He apologized for the unrest caused by reports of parties during the lockdown at the prime minister's residence.
When asked if Johnson resigned if he broke the law, Ellis replied, "The Prime Minister is not going anywhere."
Internal investigations into further parties
Johnson's government had come under criticism several times in the past few months for alleged violations of the self-imposed corona rules.
An internal investigation is ongoing into suspected parties in government circles in May, November and December 2020. In a recent poll, even among Conservative voters, almost half of those polled said Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak would be a better head of government than Johnson.
The government official in charge of the investigations, Sue Gray, should now also examine the latest case, as government representative Michael Ellis said on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Johnson is likely to face other uncomfortable questions at traditional Question Time in Parliament.
slü / AFP