British police investigating lockdown parties at PM Johnson’s residence

London, January 25 (Reuters)-British police investigate possible COVID blockade breach in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street dwelling on Tuesday after receiving evidence from an internal government investigation into a series of rallies. Said that it started.

Johnson’s political life after a series of allegations that he and his staff became partisan in the heart of the British state, in violation of the rules they themselves imposed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m fighting for

Delightful revelations, such as a noisy party in Downing Street, a supermarket wine suitcase, a broken children’s swing, a wine fridge, and staff jokes about how to introduce such a party to reporters, give Johnson a rating. I crushed it.

ITV reported on Monday that Johnson attended a surprise party on his 2020 birthday. Up to 30 people attended the event in his office and cabinet room at 10 Downing Street, the broadcaster said.

Britain’s chief police officer, Cressida Dick, said the investigation began on Tuesday after initially refusing to investigate the rally in Downing Street.

“We can see that Met is investigating a number of incidents in Downing Street and Whitehall over the last two years in connection with possible COVID-19 regulatory violations,” she said. I did.

The Cabinet Office said its own investigation conducted by senior Sue Gray officials is continuing and that police contact is ongoing. It was unclear when the results of the investigation would be published. It may be delayed.

Revelations about the rally urged some of Johnson’s own Conservatives to ask him to resign, but far less than the 54 required to trigger a motion of no confidence that could lead to a leadership contest. ..

Johnson’s future

Johnson has survived the scandal throughout his career, but his premiere, straddling both Brexit and the worst pandemic of the first century, was defined by the turmoil that included his own battle with COVID-19.

His 2019 plan to suspend Congress and force Brexit to pass pleases millions of people who were previously overturned by the Supreme Court and changed their political loyalty to vote for him. Finally, we negotiated a Brexit arrangement.

A few months later, when a new coronavirus broke out, he delayed the closure of the country longer than his international peers. The decision that COVID-19 has more than 150,000 deaths and is the seventh highest in the country has been sharply criticized.

Johnson himself almost died of the disease before recovering to lead the deployment of the world’s leading vaccine.

However, reports that he and his own Downing Street staff ignored the rules imposed on the British people test Johnson’s legendary survival abilities.

“To be honest, I always voted for Boris, but he has to go. Break the rules, he has to go,” said Ian Daurich, a 59-year-old builder from Brentwood, Essex. Told.

According to ITV, Johnson attended a surprise birthday party in Downing Street on June 19, 2020, banning indoor get-togethers. He was presented with a cake while his partner Carrie was leading the staff with a “Happy Birthday” chorus. According to his office, Johnson attended for less than 10 minutes.

Dick said police usually did not investigate all alleged blockade violations, but after receiving some findings from Gray’s investigation, he felt there was reason to investigate.

She said that police “know or should know that what they are doing is a crime” when deciding whether to investigate a reported blockade breach. There was evidence that “there was some factor, such as whether or not.”

Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner welcomed the investigation and renewed the opposition’s call for Johnson’s resignation.

“Boris Johnson is a distraction to the public. Conservative lawmakers should stop supporting him and he should finally resign after doing decent things.”

Reported by Alistair Smout, Paul Sandle, Kate Holton, Kylie MacLellan, Elizabeth Piper, helena Williams, Ben Makori. Written by Guy Fall Conbridge and William James.Edited by Kate Holton, Elizabeth Piper, Catherine Evans

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