It is not the first time that the government has been accused of bypassing restrictions imposed on the British to try to control the pandemic.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose popularity is steadily falling, found himself in trouble again on Tuesday due to another scandal over a massive party held in full lockdown in Downing Street Gardens that police say they are investigating.
In May 2020 – almost two months after the United Kingdom was declared confinement by the coronavirus, which led to Johnson himself being hospitalized in intensive care in April and left 67 million Britons without social interactions – all businesses did not Essentials were closed and only one person was allowed to meet to walk or exercise, always outdoors and respecting two meters of distance.
However, according to the private channel ITV News, the private secretary of the prime minister, Martin Reynolds, sent an email to a hundred employees inviting them “after an incredibly busy period” to “enjoy the good weather” having “a few drinks with social distancing ”on May 20 in Downing Street Gardens.
“Join us from 18:00 and bring your own drinks,” read the message now leaked to the press, reigniting a scandal that the controversial conservative leader hoped to have left behind with the start of the new year.
According to several British media, both Johnson and his wife Carrie attended the party, who on April 29 had given birth to Wilfred, the couple’s first child, who now has two.
In a statement late Monday, London police said they were making inquiries.
“The Metropolitan Police service is aware of the widespread information in relation to the alleged infractions of the sanitary protection regulations in Downing Street on May 20, 2020 and is in contact with the cabinet office” in this regard, he announced.
Conservative rebellion and calls to resign
It is not the first time that the government has been accused of bypassing the restrictions imposed on the British to try to control the pandemic, which caused a very serious economic recession and caused psychological distress for many Britons.
The revelation that up to 50 Downing Street employees held a Christmas party on December 18, 2020 and some joked about it afterwards, led the Prime Minister’s former spokesperson, Allegra Stratton, to resign sobbing in early December and at 54%. of the British to consider that Johnson should resign.
Among them are numerous deputies of his own Conservative Party, a hundred of whom a few days later voted against the government, in a rebellion of unprecedented magnitude, due to the new restrictions decided due to the omicron variant.
To try to tackle the matter, Johnson, who said he received the guarantee that “the rules were always followed,” commissioned an internal investigation to senior official Sue Gray, who has not yet published her results.
And she was limited to referring, with an uncomfortable smile, when before this new leak she was asked about her own presence at these events.
“I can understand that people are upset and angry about these accusations,” Secretary of State for Health Ed Argar told Sky News on Tuesday.
“That is why it is correct that the prime minister has called for this independent investigation to be completed quickly, to determine the facts behind these accusations,” he added.
“Boris Johnson, your detours and distractions are absurd,” opposition leader Keir Starmer tweeted.
“Stop lying to the British public. It is time to confess at once ”, he urged.
For his part, Jonathan Evans, director of the independent committee that advises prime ministers on ethics, considered that the latest accusations show “carelessness” in maintaining the rules.
“People worry and feel that … the people who are paid to perform public functions should measure up,” he said. (I)
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