Celebrating with friends and family instead of lockdown: The “Partygate” scandal is entering the next round. Will Britain’s ex-prime minister now lose his mandate?
The central British government authority has reported former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for further alleged violations of the lockdown rules in the corona pandemic. As confirmed by the Cabinet Office, it forwarded information to the police about several violations in the London government seat Downing Street and at the country house Checkers. The responsible police authorities also confirmed that they had received corresponding information.
According to the PA news agency, a spokesman for Johnson spoke of “abbreviated entries in the official calendar” that had come to light in the course of preparations for a parliamentary inquiry into Johnson’s statements about lockdown violations. Lockdown rules were not broken in this context. Reports from the Times that Johnson had invited friends and family members to Checkers, contrary to the lockdown rules, were also rejected by a Johnson confidante, according to the newspaper.
In the course of the so-called Partygate scandal, the conservative politician was the first incumbent Prime Minister in Great Britain to receive a penalty order – the police issued a total of 128 penal orders for lockdown violations in the British seat of government. A report gave a devastating testimony to the government at the time.
But because he repeatedly claimed in parliament that there had been no violations, a committee of inquiry is to clarify whether Johnson intentionally told the untruth. The result is expected within weeks. In the worst case, Johnson faces the loss of his mandate and with it the end of his political career. The latest allegations shouldn’t make this any easier.
Source: Stern
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