Boris Johnson continues to come under pressure in the Partygate affair.
(Photo: Reuters)
London For the British Prime Minister, the affair over banned lockdown parties in Downing Street, the seat of government, is becoming tricky again. On Thursday, MPs are due to vote on whether statements by Boris Johnson on the matter should be examined by a committee for their veracity.
Parliament Speaker Lindsay Hoyle approved a corresponding request from the opposition on Tuesday, as he announced in the House of Commons. Deliberate deception of Parliament is considered a clear reason for resignation.
Johnson, who was fined last week for attending an illegal party, expressed remorse in a statement in Parliament on Tuesday.
“I felt the pain and anger immediately,” Johnson said of the penalty order. The British people deserve better from their Prime Minister. He paid the fine and apologized profusely.
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However, he maintained that he had no idea that the meeting in question was a party – the Prime Minister had let his staff celebrate his birthday with a cake.
Johnson is unlikely to take part in the debate about his sincerity. He has already planned a trip to India for Thursday.
The Tory politician had initially completely ruled out any breaches of the rules in the House of Commons and then claimed not to have noticed anything about it. It later emerged that he himself attended several of the meetings in question. His wife Carrie Johnson and Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak also received penal orders.
The Metropolitan Police are focusing on twelve events that allegedly violated the Corona rules in force at the time. In the meantime, around 50 penal orders have been issued in connection with the investigations. It is considered likely that Johnson will receive further penalties.
More: Boris Johnson is now only a prime minister on call. A comment.