The scandal surrounding the parties of the British Prime Minister during the lockdown is growing – Boris Johnson had to go for interrogation, and the media predicted his imminent resignation. The Prime Minister attended several such events in 2020 and 2021. At first, Johnson denied everything, but then confessed and asked for forgiveness, including from Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. One of the parties took place right on Downing Street in April 2021 – then the country was under strict restrictive measures, and the event was attended by about 30 government employees who had fun all night. In addition, this party took place on the eve of the funeral of Prince Philip, in which Elizabeth II had to attend a memorial service in the church alone due to the coronavirus. Many Western media are already beginning to see off Boris Johnson from the post of British Prime Minister. Read more in the foreign press review on Kommersant FM.
The leader of the British government hears daily calls to resign, notes CNN. At first, he and his supporters denied everything and refused to answer even the most innocuous questions. However, in the end, the prime minister was forced to apologize. On January 14, the scandal escalated when it turned out that Johnson attended a party right before the funeral of Prince Philip. The government has apologized to the Queen, but an even greater danger lurks on the horizon. The report of Sue Gray, a representative of the UK Senior Officials Service, who interrogated the prime minister, may soon be published. The results could put additional pressure on Johnson. However, if the information is not published, the prime minister will be able to survive the scandal.
Boris Johnson is now drawing up a list of civil servants who will have to resign in order to save his premiership, writes The Independent. Johnson himself called it “Operation Save Big Dog” – Operation Save Big Dog. Prime Minister’s chief of staff Dan Rosenfield and Johnson’s personal secretary Martin Reynolds are considered the most likely candidates for resignation.
The prime minister’s party scandal has done a lot of damage to his personal brand, according to public polls. Politico. The publication quotes the words of former Downing Street sociologist James Johnson. He said that if the prime minister continues to stay away from this story and deny his role in it, it will only irritate voters even more.
Correspondent of “Kommersant FM” in London Andrei Ostalsky – about the reaction of British society to the scandal
“The reputation of Boris Johnson, of course, was dealt a rather strong blow, including among his supporters, because until now they were ready to forgive him for anything, any sins, seeing him as the main leader of Brexit. Now the situation is changing on the right flank. Dissatisfied voices are heard in the Tory party and beyond that scandals related to violations of the lockdown rules, which the government itself introduced and violated so unceremoniously, are changing the mood not in favor of Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party personally.
At the so-called interrogation, the prime minister answered some questions, clarified his position, what he knew. All the potentially guilty personnel of the apparatus, of course, have already been interrogated by Sue Gray. How independent she is, being herself an employee of Boris Johnson’s apparatus, in order to decide to draw some conclusions that are unpleasant for the prime minister, of course, no one knows.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read an editorial in The Times newspaper that was quite closely associated with the Conservative Party. The harshness of expressions reached an unprecedented level, the British establishment was simply attacked and declared virtually decadent by both Prince Andrew and Boris Johnson, and some high-ranking people in the apparatus of the monarchy, in the government. Discontent is growing in British society, and this can seriously affect political life. The freedom of the media saves the UK, it gives some chance for recovery, that these serious failures and shortcomings will be somehow corrected.
The Guardian adds that the Prime Minister is considering cutting funding for the BBC, which will turn 100 this October. This desperate attempt to save his premiership seems to be central to Johnson’s strategy. Thirty-five of the 54 letters required for a vote of no confidence have already been sent by members of parliament, although the actual number is kept in the strictest confidence. If the BBC’s funding is cut, the corporation will have to close many offices and lay off thousands of people. “The Prime Minister believes that those who report violations of the rules should be held accountable, and he himself will remain free,” said Lucy Powell, the Labor Party secretary for shadow culture.
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