Police say they have issued dozens of fines notices in connection with the ‘Partygate’ scandal.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office says he will be fined for breaching COVID-19 rules following allegations of coronavirus containment parties at government offices.
Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak will also be fined.
The news comes after the London Metropolitan Police force said earlier on Tuesday that it had issued 30 more fixed penalty notices related to Scandal “Partygate”which has seen dozens of politicians and officials investigated over allegations that the government introduced its own coronavirus pandemic restrictions and sparked a wave of public anger.
A spokesman for Johnson’s office said: “The Prime Minister and Premier of the Exchequer received today notice that the Metropolitan Police intend to issue fixed penalty notices to them.
“We don’t have further details, but we’ll update you when we do.”
It is not clear how much Johnson and Sunak will be fined.
The Prime Minister has denied any wrongdoing, but he is alleged to have a few of the dozens of events at the 10 Downing Street office and other government buildings are being investigated by police.
Johnson’s government has been rocked by public anger over revelations that his staff have been hosting “bring your own booze” office parties, birthday celebrations and “anniversaries”. drinking friday” in 2020 and 2021 while millions of people in the UK are banned from seeing friends and family over their government’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Thousands of people have been fined by police from £60 ($78) to £10,000 ($13,040) for rule-breaking social gatherings.
In total, police said they had issued at least 50 fines for the offences, but did not identify the recipients. Police said they sent questionnaires to more than 100 people, including the prime minister, and interviewed witnesses as part of the investigation.
“We are making every effort to expedite this investigation, which includes continuing to evaluate a substantial amount of investigative material from which further referrals can be made,” police said. know in a statement.
In January, civil servant Sue Gray released a report on several gatherings that were not subject to criminal investigation. She said the “failure of leadership and judgment” in Johnson’s government allowed events to happen that shouldn’t have happened.
Opposition calls for resignation
Opposition figures in Congress have demanded that both Johnson and other members his government resigns through the scandal.
“Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak broke the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. Both must resign,” said Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labor Party.
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak broke the law and repeatedly lied to the British public.
Both had to resign.
The Conservative Party is completely unfit to govern. England deserves better.
– Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 12, 2022
The issue threatened Johnson’s position earlier this year when some lawmakers in his own Conservative Party called for him to step down as public confidence plummeted and support for the government dwindled. narrow.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s wife Carrie was also notified by police on Tuesday that she would be fined for violating the COVID-19 lockdown, her spokeswoman said.
“Ms. Johnson can confirm that she has been advised she will receive a fixed penalty notice (FPN). She has yet to receive any further details on the nature of the FPN,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
