British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political future is on the cutting edge. In the UK, the results of the official investigation into the parties organized in the Prime Minister’s Office can be made public at any time while the coronavirus restrictions continue. The London Police Department also launched a separate investigation into the parties. Johnson may have to resign if it turns out he lied to Parliament.
Johnson’s two-year premiership was eventful. During this period, the Brexit process was completed, and Britain left the European Union. The Covid pandemic has begun. The prime minister’s closest advisers resigned.
But the most devastating event for Johnson was the parties held at the Prime Minister’s Residence during the pandemic. Johnson is closer than ever to the end of his political career.
So what exactly was Johnson accused of?
How many parties were held?
According to the British press, at least 17 parties were held in the Prime Minister’s Residence and several other ministry buildings during the Covid process, where Johnson both lived and worked.
Covid restrictions were in place in the UK at the time the parties were held, with more than two people not allowed to gather at home in most areas. Various restrictions were still in effect outdoors.
On May 20, 2020, around 100 people were invited to a party in the garden of the Prime Minister’s Residence. Invitees were asked to follow social distancing rules and bring their drinks.
Some of those who witnessed the party told the BBC that about 30 people attended the party, and Johnson and his then-fiancée, Carrie Symonds, were also there.
Johnson confirmed he was attending for 25 minutes, but said he attended the party “thinking it was a business event”.
Johnson’s birthday
On 19 June 2020, they gathered again at the Prime Minister’s Residence to celebrate Johnson’s birthday and cut a cake. Prime Ministry employees claimed that the celebration lasted less than 10 minutes.
December 2020 was the strictest of Covid restrictions in London. During this period and in the months that followed, it became clear that several more parties were organized in the office of the ruling Conservative Party.
It was revealed that on April 16, 2021, two parties were held that broke the Covid rules, one day before the funeral of Prince Philip, the wife of Queen Elizabeth II.
Whereas, Queen Elizabeth II sat alone the next day during the funeral to follow the same rules. The country was in mourning at this time, with the flag at Buckingham Palace at half-mast.
It was said that Johnson did not attend these parties.
What was the reaction?
Parties organized in the Prime Ministry and the Conservative Party angered both the deputies and the public.
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labor Party, continues to press Johnson on this issue in parliamentary sessions.
The Prime Ministry denied the party news and allegations for almost a week in December.
However, just after that, a video was leaked to the press showing the then Prime Ministry Press Spokesperson Allegra Stratton playfully answering questions from the press about the parties in question to her colleagues. “This fictitious party was a business meeting and social distancing was not followed,” Stratton said in the video. Stratton resigned soon after.
Also in December, the Conservative Party lost its 200-year-old stronghold after the Liberal Democrats won the by-election in England’s North Shropshire region.
Conservative Party MP Christian Wakeford from the Bury South region resigned and joined the Labor Party.
‘**go for god’s sake**’
Many MPs from both the Conservative Party and other parties demanded the prime minister’s resignation.
“You’re in too long, go for God’s sake,” former Brexit Secretary David Davis told Johnson in the House of Commons last week.
Lawmakers are awaiting the results of the investigation led by senior undersecretary Sue Gray.
Who is Sue Gray?
Sue Gray works as an undersecretary in the Cabinet Office.
Gray’s investigation was requested by the Office of the Prime Minister. Gray delved into the activities as part of the investigation. It will explore why parties are held, who attends the parties, and what restrictions were in place at the time.
Labor Party leader Keir Startmer demanded that Gray’s full report be published.
The Prime Minister’s Office, on the other hand, stated that it would publish the report, but that it did not want to hinder the ongoing police investigation.
Why is a police investigation being conducted?
The London Police Department launched an investigation this week into parties held at the Prime Minister’s Residence during the pandemic.
We don’t know how many events law enforcement has yet to investigate.
The London Police Department announced that so far they have only investigated “some activities at the Prime Minister’s Residence and Prime Minister’s office on the grounds that Covid measures may have been violated in the last 2 years”.
London Police Chief Cressida Dick said officers who evaluated the findings of Gray’s team decided to investigate.
In the UK, those who violate the Covid restrictions are fined, not jailed.
Both investigations explore activities during the period when Covid restrictions were at their strictest.
In the summer of 2020, the London Police Department had the authority to issue fines ranging between £100 and £3200 for those who did not comply with the Covid restrictions, with exceptions.
Prime Minister Johnson welcomed the investigation launched by the London Police Department, saying it would “bring the necessary clarity and help close the issue”.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said that he thought Johnson did not violate the Covid rules.
Will Boris Johnson resign?
The whole country is carefully awaiting the results of the two investigations.
Johnson, on the other hand, told lawmakers to wait for the results of Sue Gray’s report and that she would not resign until then.
Johnson apologized to Queen Elizabeth II of England.
Many think that Johnson will survive this crisis unscathed and will not leave office.
However, according to the results of the report, it is among the possibilities that Johnson will leave the prime ministership by his own decision.
In this case, the leadership race will begin in the Conservative Party.
Is there a vote of no confidence?
If Johnson doesn’t leave the prime ministership of his own accord, the number of lawmakers demanding a vote of no confidence in his party could increase.
In order for a vote of no confidence to be made, 54 of the Conservative Party’s 360 deputies must submit their demands for this direction to the party administration.
If a no-confidence vote is taken, Johnson would need the support of most of his party’s lawmakers to stay in office.
Former British Prime Minister Theresa May won the vote of no confidence in a secret ballot in December 2018, with the support of 200 MPs from her party.
May resigned of her own accord six months later.