United Kingdom: Boris Johnson caught up by the "partygate", his version again contradicted

The illegal parties, the “partygate”, organized in Downing Street during the anti-Covid confinements, once again catch up with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has made no secret of his intention to return to the forefront of political life in the country.

In a podcast broadcast this week, the ITV television channel delivers new testimonies which contradict the version put forward by Boris Johnson according to which he was not aware of these illegal parties organized in Downing Street during the anti-Covid confinements.

According to these testimonies from former civil servants, Boris Johnson joked during a November 2020 party at 10 Downing Street, saying she was "the least respectful of social distancing in the whole of the United Kingdom".

And documents would have been destroyed when the prospect of investigations into these celebrations began to become clearer, these witnesses still affirm.

This affair and scandals affecting ministers and close collaborators of the former Prime Minister had forced him to resign last summer.

These revelations surface at a time when a parliamentary committee is to begin an investigation that could lead to the suspension of the ambitious Boris Johnson as an MP, or even his exclusion from the House of Commons.

This procedure must determine whether he lied to the chamber, in particular when he affirmed before parliamentarians in December 2021 that “the rules were always respected”.

“Totally unsuitable for the job”

Already, after investigation, the police had already concluded that he had broken the law, and had fined him for having participated in a surprise drink for his birthday in June 2020, unheard of for a Prime Minister in office.

Rishi Sunak, who has since become Prime Minister, had also been fined.

When questioned, a spokesperson for Boris Johnson did not deny the comments attributed to the former Prime Minister in the ITV podcast, but insisted that he had “worked constantly” to ensure that the government was doing everything it could to protect people and jobs during the pandemic.

For his part, a spokesperson for Rishi Sunak assured that "staff had received clear instructions to keep all relevant information and to cooperate in the investigation" of these illegal parties.

For Boris Johnson who wants to return to the political forefront, the equation is complicated.

"These revelations remind us once again of the reasons why he is totally unsuited for the post (of Prime Minister)", reacted Angela Rayner, the number 2 of the Labor opposition.

He who already attempted a comeback in October when his successor, Liz Truss, embroiled in difficulties, had to leave Downing Street after less than 50 days in office, was forced to throw in the towel allowing Rishi Sunak to become Prime Minister.

Still, Boris Johnson still enjoys a lot of support.

“Most sane people know they (the Conservative parliamentarians) made a huge mistake.

Nothing has gone well for us since the day they dismissed Boris Johnson,” ex-minister Nadine Dorries defended on TalkTV on Monday.