London Police said earlier Tuesday that it had issued more than 50 fines as part of its investigation into rallies held at government premises on Downing Street and Whitehall, while the rest of the country lived under severe pandemic blockades. The parties’ revelations sparked national outrage.
Police fines are confirmation that Johnson and Sunak have violated Covid-19 laws created by their own government – although the prime minister has previously denied holding any parties and insisted that all guidelines have been followed.
It was not clear which gatherings Johnson and Sunak faced fines; a government spokesman said they had no further details. Carrie Johnson, the prime minister’s wife, will also be fined, her spokeswoman told CNN.
The so-called “Partygate” scandal, which emerged in late 2021, posed the most serious threat to Johnson’s post as prime minister. Reveals that the prime minister has attended several parties have already sparked fierce calls for him to resign ahead of a police fine on Tuesday.
In response to Tuesday’s events, the leader of the main opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, immediately demanded that Johnson and Sunak resign. “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign. The Conservatives are completely unfit to rule. Britain deserves better,” Starmer tweeted.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also called on Johnson to leave, saying “a prime minister who violates the laws his government makes and then lies about is not fit for office”.
“Families have made huge sacrifices and obeyed the law. Many said goodbye to their loved ones on the phone while the prime minister was partying,” Khan added in a statement on Facebook.
Matt police say an investigation into illegal gatherings on Downing Street is ongoing.
This is a shattering story, more to come …
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