Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak reject calls to resign after being fined by police over lockdown parties
April 13, 2022, 8:57 am

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak reject calls to resign after being fined by police over lockdown parties

PM Boris Johnson, Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (File photo: Rishi Sunak official Facebook page)

The BBC reported, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have pledged to stay in post despite being fined by police for breaking lockdown rules in Downing Street in June 2020.

The prime minister, the chancellor and the PM's wife all received fixed penalty notices for attending a birthday gathering for the PM in No 10.

As a result, Mr Johnson became the UK's first serving prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law.

The fines come as part of an investigation by the Metropolitan Police into illegal parties held in Downing Street and across Whitehall during Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.

The force is looking into 12 parties overall, and has already issued more than 50 fines, with more expected to come.

Speaking on Tuesday (Apr 12), the PM said he accepted "in all sincerity that people had the right to expect better" from him. He claimed the event he was fined for attending - a gathering in the Cabinet Room to mark his birthday - was "brief" and lasted "less than 10 minutes".

Boris Johnson in a visit to Hinkley Point C, which is the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK this century. It will generate low-carbon electricity for six million homes (File photo: PM Boris Johnson official Facebook page)

He added: "In all frankness, at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules. But, of course, the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation."

A spokesperson for the prime minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, said she had accepted the police's findings and "apologises unreservedly."

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to be fined over COVID-19 lockdown-breaking parties

Mr Sunak later released a statement, saying: "I understand that for figures in public office, the rules must be applied stringently in order to maintain public confidence.

The statement said: "I respect the decision that has been made and have paid the fine."

But the "full" and "unreserved" apologies did not silence critics of the PM and chancellor.

Both the PM and Mr Sunak rejected calls to resign.

UK police investigating alleged lockdown parties at Downing Street

Bereaved families said there was "simply no way either the prime minister or chancellor can continue" in their jobs, calling their actions "truly shameless".

Opposition parties accused Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak of lying to the public about their attendance at the Downing Street gathering, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the first ministers of Scotland and Wales demanding they step down.

The SNP and the Liberal Democrats also led calls for Parliament to return from its Easter break so the PM and chancellor could face questions from MPs.

Boris Johnson refuses to resign over COVID lockdown parties

But a raft of cabinet ministers publicly back Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak - including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said they were "delivering for Britain on many fronts".

Source: BBC

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.