For Boris Johnson it is a nightmare before Christmas: Close employees have obviously broken the corona rules. The British Prime Minister had denied that for days. Now he is humble.
They are said to have celebrated when hundreds died and millions were not allowed to see their loved ones – and days later they joked in front of the camera about the blatant breach of the rules.
An explosive video from Downing Street of a suspected Christmas party by government officials during the Corona lockdown a year ago puts UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson under considerable pressure. It says in the room that Johnson, who did not attend the party, lied about the event.
Heated mood
In the British Parliament, the prime minister met with a heated mood on Wednesday, boos accompanied Johnson on the way to his seat. For opposition leader Keir Starmer, one thing is clear: the prime minister no longer has his business under control. The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Ian Blackford, urged Johnson with emotional words to resign. Parliament President Lindsay Hoyle had to urge calm several times.
Above all, it’s about a video in which the premier’s closest confidants are obviously laughing and thinking about how to gloss over the party. Johnson said in Parliament: “I apologize wholeheartedly for the offense it has caused across the country and I apologize for the impression it creates.” There will be an internal investigation and the government will cooperate with the police, he said.
Johnson also emphasized, however, that he had been repeatedly assured that there had been no party and that corona rules had not been broken. Johnson pushed the possible responsibility on to the employees: If rules were broken, there would be serious consequences.
Stratton resigns
The first resignation followed on Wednesday. Johnson’s former spokeswoman Allegra Stratton tearfully apologized for her remarks in the published video and offered her office as government spokeswoman for the UN climate change conference. Johnson, on the other hand, was demonstratively unimpressed in parliament by the allegations and calls for resignation. He accused the opposition of digging up old stories to play political games. He, on the other hand, is looking ahead and leading the country out of the Corona crisis.
But Johnson’s defense strategy doesn’t seem to get caught up in the population. According to a poll carried out on behalf of the news channel Sky News, 63 percent of British people believe that Johnson is not telling the truth. Less than one in ten said they believed the prime minister’s assurances.
A delicate point in time
The timing for this loss of confidence could hardly be more delicate: Johnson appeared before the press on Wednesday evening and announced the introduction of the so-called Plan B in England. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Omikron variant is expanding much faster than the previously predominant Delta variant, according to Johnson. Accordingly, from next week onwards, the request to work from home will apply again. The mask requirement will also be tightened and at certain major events a vaccination certificate or a negative test result will be required in the future.
In the Tory party, there was a growing number of voices who doubt whether stricter rules can be enforced at all if the population is given the impression that the government is applying double standards.
Wine and snacks, narrow and ang
In Downing Street on December 18, 2020, according to information from several media outlets, 40 to 50 employees celebrated closely with wine and appetizers that it had been weighted. There is even talk of further parties on Downing Street during the lockdown. At that time there were strict contact restrictions; Parties and gatherings were forbidden. The government did not deny the event, but has been emphasizing for days that no corona rules had been violated – as Johnson did again.
And that despite the fact that the broadcaster ITV released a video on Tuesday evening that was recorded a few days later, on December 22, 2020, in Downing Street. In the lead role: Johnson’s then spokeswoman Stratton, who is rehearsing for a press conference. An employee jokingly asks Stratton after a party, and those present joke about “wine and cheese”. “This fictional party was a business meeting and there were no social distance rules,” says Stratton with a laugh.
The response: devastating. ITV presenter Tom Bradby said to his audience of millions: “They are laughing at us. You, me, all of us. ” Worst of all, Johnson is likely to hit the now open criticism from within his own party. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said that if Johnson deceived Parliament he would have to resign. Several MPs recalled that many people were not allowed to say goodbye to dying relatives and friends at the time. On December 18, 2020, the government reported 514 corona deaths in one day.
Source From: Stern
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