UK police investigating alleged lockdown parties at Downing Street
January 25, 2022, 5:53 pm

UK police investigating alleged lockdown parties at Downing Street

UK police-London city in England/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported that British police said Tuesday they are investigating alleged parties held at Downing Street and Whitehall over the past two years during the country's lockdown, citing "deep public concern."

London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said: "I can confirm that the Met (Metropolitan Police) is now investigating a number of events that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to potential breaches of COVID-19 regulations."

Dick said the investigation was prompted "firstly of the information provided by the Cabinet Office inquiry team and secondly my officers' own assessment."

She said: "I absolutely understand that there is deep public concern about the allegations that have been in the media in recent weeks. I completely understand that. The vast majority of people have acted responsibly during the pandemic."

Boris Johnson-Booster programme/Official Facebook page

According to the Xinhua, revelations of several rule-busting parties held at Downing Street in 2020 and 2021 have enraged British public, who obediently observed the government-imposed coronavirus restrictions, sometimes even unable to attend funerals of loved ones, in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized about two weeks ago for attending a Downing Street garden party on May 20, 2020, during the country's first lockdown. He said he believed it was a work event and stayed for only 25 minutes.

British media ITV reported on Monday that the prime minister had a birthday party on June 19, 2020 at Downing Street with the attendance of up to 30 people, despite the rules forbidding social gatherings indoors at the time.

It's unclear how the Met's investigation will impact on the report, widely expected to be released sometime this week, by Sue Gray, the senior civil servant tasked with investigating these alleged parties at Downing Street.

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Johnson, whose premiership hangs in the balance amid growing calls for him to resign, has insisted that everyone should wait until Gray's report is released.

Source: xinhua

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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.