LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to resign after being fined for breaching the government’s pandemic containment rules, instead saying he would redouble his efforts to shore up the economy and fight the pandemic. Russian aggression in Ukraine.
London police fined Johnson and others on Tuesday for attending a birthday party for the prime minister at his Downing Street office on June 19, 2020. The punishment made Johnson prime minister. He was first found to have broken the law while in office.
Gatherings of more than two people were banned in the UK at the time of birthday parties to limit the spread of coronavirus.
“I understand the anger that many will feel that I myself am at a loss when it comes to rules that the government I lead has put in place to protect the public, and I honestly accept that everyone people have the right to expect better,” Johnson said late Tuesday. “And now I feel an even greater obligation to carry out the priorities of the British people.”
The fine follows a police investigation and months of questioning about lockout parties at government offices, which Johnson has tried to dismiss by saying there is no party and he believes there are no rules. which switch is broken.
Opposition lawmakers demanded Johnson’s resignation, arguing that the fines levied against him and Treasurer Rishi Sunak were evidence of “crime” at the heart of government. The opposition argues that the Downing Street rally demonstrates that Johnson and his supporters believe the rules do not apply to them.
While the “partisan” scandal poses a threat to Johnson’s government, the world has changed a lot since the first reports of the parties emerged late last year.
Johnson has been a leading figure in international advocacy against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Britain is facing its worst cost of living crisis since the 1950s.
His supporters have argued that whatever the prime minister may have done wrong, now is not the time for a leadership contest.
The fact that his treasurer also received an unwarranted fine helped Johnson because Sunak had been seen as a leading candidate to succeed Johnson.
But Johnson still faces the possibility of additional fines; He is believed to have attended three other gatherings that the Metropolitan Police Department is still investigating.
Mr Jill Rutter, a senior fellow at the Institute of Government in London, said he would also have to answer questions about whether he had intentionally misled Parliament with his previous statements about partisans. or not.
“Governments have to realize that they can’t just make laws and then roll around and reason that everything is fine because they are very important people working at the heart of government,” Rutter said.
