British Prime Minister
“Liar and lawbreaker”: Johnson refuses to resign
Boris Johnson has to pay a fine for banned celebrations during the Corona lockdown. Photo: Marc Ward/PA Wire/dpa
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Boris Johnson becomes the first sitting Prime Minister to be fined for breaking the law. The opposition is outraged. But that doesn’t bother the British head of government.
Despite an unprecedented penalty for attending a lockdown party, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not want to step down.
He regrets his behavior, said the head of government. “But I think the best thing I can do now, after paying the penalty, is to focus on the task at hand. I will do that, »said Johnson.
He is the first sitting prime minister to be fined for breaking the law. Nevertheless, numerous cabinet members expressed their confidence in him. The opposition called on Johnson and Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who also received a fine, to resign. “Ruled by liars and lawbreakers,” headlined the Daily Mirror newspaper on Wednesday.
Birthday party in the Corona lockdown
Downing Street had previously announced that Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Treasury Secretary Sunak had been fined for violating the Corona rules at the time. It was therefore a meeting for Johnson’s birthday on June 19, 2020 at his Downing Street office. At that time, there were strict contact restrictions due to the pandemic. According to the newspaper “The Sun”, Johnson had to pay a fine of 100 pounds (around 120 euros). The London police are investigating a total of twelve events in 2020 and 2021. It cannot be ruled out that Johnson will receive further penalties for participating in other events.
“There was a brief meeting in the Cabinet Room just after 2 p.m. that lasted less than 10 minutes and people who I work with kindly expressed their wishes,” Johnson said. “And I have to say in all frankness that I wasn’t aware at the time that this could have been a breach of the rules. I humbly accept that it was.” Now he looks ahead. Finance Minister Sunak, who was fined for the same celebration, also apologized but refuses to resign.
Demands for resignation are piling up
Johnson had previously repeatedly denied that he or his employees had broken corona rules. However, media reports suggested different conclusions. A first internal investigation report accused Downing Street of leadership failure and serious rule violations. Several members of his Conservative Party also called for Johnson’s resignation. However, due to the Russian war against Ukraine and British support for Kyiv, the pressure on the prime minister eased considerably.
Now, however, demands for his resignation flared up again. In a survey by the polling institute Yougov, 57 percent believed Johnson had to go. Only 30 percent of respondents supported the prime minister. The focus is now primarily on the performance of the Conservatives in local elections in England at the beginning of May.
Finance Minister Sunak is now under even more pressure. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is considered Johnson’s most promising successor, had recently faced allegations that his wealthy wife was profiting from legal tax tricks.