On Tuesday, British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and 28 others were fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending a number of parties between May 2020 and April 2021 that were in clear violation of COVID-19 restrictions. The fines largely focused on Johnson’s birthday party in June 2020 at Downing Street, an event that was attended by over 30 people despite prohibitions on indoor gatherings with two or more people at the time.
Johnson’s central involvement in the ‘Partygate’ scandal has left him facing intensified calls to resign. In fact, a number of members of his own Conservative Party have submitted letters of disapproval to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee. Brady would need to receive 54 such letters from the party’s 359 members of parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons (HOC) to trigger a no-confidence motion. The tabling of a no-confidence motion would otherwise require the backing of half of the HOC’s 650 MPs. However, given that the Tories hold 359 of these seats, such a motion would be highly unlikely to be passed. Therefore, a growing number of Tories are seeking to trigger an internal mechanism to force Johnson to face a trust vote.
Expectedly, Johnson has also faced calls to step down from opposition parties. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stated that both Sunak and Johnson should tender their resignation. Similarly, Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, called for Johnson and Sunak’s ouster over their “widespread criminality,” while Liberal Democrats chief Ed Davey urged the Parliament to convene to discuss the possibility of a no-confidence motion.
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 12, 2022
They must both resign.
The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better.
Away from the parliament, Johnson’s actions have also received widespread condemnation from the public. Taking to Twitter, a group called “Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK” highlighted Johnson’s hypocrisy, pointing out that he was holding illegal parties at a time when British citizens were prevented from meeting their loved ones on their death beds or even attending their funerals.
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, Johnson tendered a “full apology” for the breach, but refused to resign. He reiterated that the fine was issued over a “brief gathering” that lasted less than ten minutes, claiming that the party was a surprise and that he did not realise that it would amount to a breach of COVID-19 restrictions. However, Johnson said that he “fully respected” the Met police’s decision to find him guilty.
Meanwhile, his supporters insist that Johnson must be allowed to remain in his position to mitigate the impact of the Ukraine war and the unprecedented high energy prices. Scottish Conservatives chief Douglas Ross noted that amid the raging war, “it wouldn’t be right to remove the Prime Minister at this time.
I've just spoken to @POTUS and updated him on my meeting with President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv this weekend.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 12, 2022
Our joint focus remains on supporting President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.
Putin's barbaric venture cannot be allowed to succeed. pic.twitter.com/qAewW0flHl
Critics, on the other hand, have argued that Johnson is leveraging the Ukraine war to deflect attention away from the ‘Partygate’ scandal. To this end, they have pointed out that just hours before the fines were announced, Johnson released a picture with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to underline his role as a wartime leader.
Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Sunak have reportedly already paid their fines for the breach, which amount to £100 ($130) each.
After everything it’s still unbelievably painful that @BorisJohnson was partying & breaking his own lockdown rules, while we were unable to be at loved ones' sides in their dying moments, or in miserable funerals with only a handful of people.
— Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK (@CovidJusticeUK) April 12, 2022
We were following the rules.
1/5 pic.twitter.com/iq4Yws27iQ
As part of their “Operation Hillman” investigation, the Met Police have already issued over 50 fines to 50 different individuals, including the 30 additional fines issued on Tuesday. However, the names of all those fined have not been made public by the police. Following Tuesday’s announcement, they clarified that the investigation is still ongoing, indicating that more fines could be issued shortly. The police stressed that officers are “continuing to assess significant amounts of investigative material.”
In December 2021, Johnson set up an internal probe, led by Sue Gray, that looked into 16 events conducted between May 2020 and April 2021. A partial report was submitted in February but the final report will only be published after the police investigation has been completed so as to not influence the process. 12 of the 16 events named in the Sue Gray report are also being investigated by the police. PM Johnson allegedly attended two of these gatherings.