People make fun of it abroad, but in Great Britain many just roll their eyes. Is Downing Street lockdown party scandal keeping Prime Minister Boris Johnson from work?
“Partygate”, “Partygate” and then maybe “Partygate”. Well, every now and then there is another headline in Great Britain.
What is undisputed, however, is that the affair surrounding lockdown parties in Downing Street overshadows everything. For weeks there has been almost only one topic in the corridors of Parliament, in the pubs of Westminster, in all media, but also in personal conversations and background meetings. The scandal, and with it the question of whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson lied when he denied celebrations, is paralyzing British politics.
There would be enough excitement. The government has written off several billion pounds on unsuitable corona protective equipment, scandals among the London police, false statements by Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel on crime statistics or the serious crisis in Northern Ireland. The series of topics that would usually be a stimulus and excitement could be continued for a long time. Even the sharp increase in energy costs by more than 50 percent was only temporarily the top message on Thursday. That same evening, “Partygate” recaptured the headlines in light of the resignations of close Johnson advisers.
“Partygate” strikes Brexit balance sheet
Projects by the conservative government don’t stand a chance either. For example, the long-awaited announcement by Building Secretary Michael Gove about how the government wants to enable the same high living standards across the country – called “Levelling Up”, one of Johnson’s core promises – was completely lost in the debate. “Is it a bit frustrating when I want to talk about fighting cancer and someone is asking me about something completely different?” Health Minister Savid Javid said. “Yes. But that’s life, that’s politics, I understand that.”
But sometimes the government is lucky. When she presented a report on the “advantages of Brexit” on the second anniversary of her departure from the EU, which left experts stunned, hardly anyone was interested because the first part of the “Partygate” investigation report became public almost at the same time.
The opposition is calling for Johnson’s resignation – also because the issue is keeping him from governing. The prime minister had to postpone a meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin planned for last Monday because he had to face the “Partygate” issues in parliament. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, promptly mocked the prime minister as “completely confused”.
Even from allies comes ridicule. US President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman poked fun at a Tory MP who defended Johnson’s lockdown birthday party by saying the PM was “ambushed by a cake”. Of course, the United Kingdom is an important partner in the Ukraine crisis, Jen Psaki assured – and then added: “And that hasn’t changed despite the cake in any faces.” EU diplomats in London emphatically assure that the affair does not affect cooperation with Great Britain. But none of them can help but smile or roll their eyes.
Johnson relies on “carry on”
Premier Johnson, who has since had to apologize several times – including to the Queen personally – for the lockdown celebrations, has long been counterattacking again. “Let’s get on with the work,” Johnson regularly demands. His supporters make similar statements. In the end, only a few observers in Westminster were interested in the events, said Building Minister Gove during a visit to the economically weak north-east of England. “But what really matters in a week or a month or a year is whether we bring investment, jobs and a better future to the people of Sunderland.”
But Johnson has a majority against him. According to a survey, just over a third (36 percent) of Britons believe that the affair should be put behind them now. This is one of the reasons why the opposition reminds them of the police investigation into “Partygate” at every opportunity. When Johnson boasted about his successes, Labor leader Keir Starmer told him with a smirk: “Lots of words, lots of noise, no answers (…), that won’t be enough for the police.”
Source: Stern
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