Reuters has admitted that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Johnson was involved in the blockade party

By William James and Kylie MacLellan

LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologized for attending a “take your alcohol” rally at his official headquarters on Wednesday, the first blockade of the British coronavirus, when a senior official and his opponents said he should resign.

Johnson first admitted to attending the 10th Downing Street party in May 2020 when COVID-19 limited the gathering to a minimum of rules, saying he understood public outrage.

“I know when people think that the anger they feel towards the government I run on them on Downing Street itself is not properly complied with by the people who make the rules,” Johnson told parliament.

“I apologize,” he said.

Johnson said he regretted his actions and thought the meeting was a work event – caused by ridicule and laughter from opposition lawmakers.

“I entered that garden before May 20, 2020 to thank the staff for continuing to work 25 minutes later before returning to my office,” Johnson said.

“Looking back, I should have sent them all inside.”

Leaders of all major opposition parties demanded his resignation, and Scottish Conservative leader Johnson now said he should become the first person in his party.

Labor leader Keir Starmer said the public – who had promised Britain a huge exit from the European Union in December 2019 – had given Johnson a landslide election victory – believed it was a lie.

“The party is over, Prime Minister,” Starmer said.

“After months of cheating and deception, the pathetic spectacle of a man who has run out of roads. His defense of not realizing he was at a party is so ridiculous that it is truly offensive to the British public.”

‘DON’T CLOSE UP’

Since then, anger has grown ITV (LON 🙂 News reported that Johnson and Carrie were mixed with about 40 employees in the Downing Street garden, after private secretary Martin Reynolds sent out an invitation to “bring your alcohol.” Johnson’s press secretary said the prime minister had not seen the email.

Many people, including some lawmakers, have described how the rules were kept out of the bed of loved ones who died last May, compared to the events on Downing Street.

Some of Johnson’s own Conservative lawmakers said Wednesday’s response to the growing uproar would decide his future.

“It’s taken a lot of water and it’s listing but it’s still not completely sunk,” one of them told Reuters.

Top ministers gathered around Johnson to express support on social media, but other lawmakers were unconvinced, most notably Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.

“Unfortunately, I have to say that his position is no longer acceptable,” Ross told Sky News after speaking with Johnson earlier. Sky said it would present a letter of no confidence to the prime minister.

To launch the leadership challenge, 54 of the 360 ​​Conservative MPs in Parliament need to write letters of confidence https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/how-could-uk-pm-johnson-be-ousted-by- unfortunate-lawmakers-2022- To the Chairman of the “1922 Committee” of Party 01-12.

“I think the Prime Minister is politically dead,” said Roger Gal, another Conservative MP, who wrote a letter urging Johnson to face a challenge.

PARTY LOCK

Just two years ago, Johnson was at the top: he won the largest Conservative majority from Margaret Thatcher in 1987 after being promised to run for Brexit. He led a campaign to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

But a series of failures, vicious scandals and a prosperous renovation of his home https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/sleaze-scandal-lockdown-parties-trying-times-uk-pm-johnson-2022 -01- 11 The management of COVID-19 and now Downing Street parties have drained their political capital.

Two polls on Tuesday showed that more than half of those surveyed believed Johnson should resign. Last month, the Conservatives lost their seat in parliament for nearly 200 years, while the party’s evaporative advantage over Labor gained its comfortable advantage over opinion polls.

Bookmakers have slashed their chances of replacing Johnson as prime minister this year, seeing the May local elections as a time of danger.

When details of the meeting first appeared, Johnson said he could not give an opinion until Sue Gray, a senior official, completed an investigation into other allegations – initially denied – until she and her officials had parties to breaking the rules.

In response to calls for his resignation, he again delayed Gray’s investigation.

“I can’t predict the consequences of today’s poll. I’ve learned enough to know that there are things we haven’t done well. And I have to take responsibility,” he said.

Opponents said he did not apologize to the party, Johnson said Wednesday, saying “technically it could be said to be within the leadership,” but that he had simply found remorse.

While Parliament was shouting its own demands, Johnson’s biographer Andrew Gimson said he would hardly leave unless his MPs forced him to.

“He’s going to find a way to do that. He’s not the type to resign,” Gimson said.