The World Briefly
April 13, 2022Party’s Over
United Kingdom
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London’s Metropolitan Police fined British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Tuesday for attending illegal parties held on government premises during a strict Covid-19 lockdown, reigniting calls for the Conservative leader to resign, CNBC reported.
Police have been investigating 12 gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall that allegedly breached Covid-19 lockdown rules. Police officials announced Tuesday that they had made an additional 30 referrals, including Johnson and Sunak, bringing the total number of fines to at least 50.
Carrie Johnson, the prime minister’s partner, also received a fine for breaking lockdown rules.
Following the announcement, opposition politicians revived their calls for Johnson and Sunak to resign, saying they had both lied to the public.
The embattled prime minister has been facing calls to step down for weeks over the issue.
One of the gatherings in question –which Johnson attended – was held in May 2020, when the public was only allowed to meet one other person from outside their household in an outdoor setting.
Johnson admitted in January that he attended the event for 25 minutes to “thank groups of staff” for their hard work and that he “believed implicitly that this was a work event.”
He apologized for the blunder but has since refused calls to resign.
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