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BoJo to ‘Set the Record Straight’ as He Faces MPs First Time Since Being Fined Over Partygate
BoJo to ‘Set the Record Straight’ as He Faces MPs First Time Since Being Fined Over Partygate
Sputnik International
Last week, the UK prime minister confirmed that he had paid a police fine for attending a birthday gathering in the cabinet room in June 2020 during the... 19.04.2022, Sputnik International
2022-04-19T06:13+0000
2022-04-19T06:13+0000
2023-05-28T15:19+0000
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to face MPs later on Tuesday for the first time since being fined as a result of the Metropolitan Police’s ongoing probe into the so-called partygate scandal over alleged social gatherings at Downing Street between 2020 and 2021.The news outlet reports that Johnson is expected to set out his own version of events related to the partygate as he faces accusations of hypocrisy for not following lockdown rules and allegations of lying to MPs. Last week he told a press conference that reporters and MPs “are going to have to wait until I come to Parliament [on Tuesday] when of course I will set the record straight in any way that I can”.A key question during the parliamentary session may be whether Johnson misled MPs as reports of the Downing Street parties first emerged, when he told the House of Commons that no rules were broken.BoJo Set to Address Ukraine Crisis According to British media, Johnson is slated to address the Ukraine crisis, also mentioning his much-criticised plan to offshore illegal migrants to Rwanda and his visit to India scheduled for later in the week.Observers expect the UK prime minister to ramp up the bellicose rhetoric against Russia during the Ukraine statement in a bid to avoid a no-confidence vote and keep with his job. Moscow launched a special operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine on 24 February, following a request for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics amid intensifying attacks by the Ukrainian Army.Remarks by Downing Street sources come after UK Energy Minister Greg Hands told Sky News on Monday that “The prime minister will have his say in parliament and will outline his version of events and face questions from MPs” during the Tuesday meeting.He spoke as Labour's Shadow Policing Minister Sarah Jones claimed in an interview with Sky News that the PM “lied repeatedly, he misled parliament, he's ripped up the ministerial code […] we have more fines potentially to come”.That came after unnamed sources were quoted by The Daily Mirror and The Guardian as saying that BoJo is bracing himself for three more police fines over breaching COVID lockdown rules at parties in Downing Street over the past two years.These social gatherings purportedly include a May 2020 summer party, a November 2020 gathering in Johnson's flat with his wife on the day of special advisor Dominic Cummings' departure, and a leaving do for Lee Cain, a senior aide, in Number 10 a day later, according to the sources. One of the sources suggested that the fines could prove "fatal" for the prime minister's career.The claims came after Johnson defied calls by the opposition to step down after he, along with his wife and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, was fined by Scotland Yard last week for attending a lockdown-busting birthday party at Downing Street in June 2020.In subsequent televised remarks, the PM said that he "fully" respects the outcome of the police investigation and understands "the anger that many will feel" that he himself "fell short when it came to observing the very rules" that his government had introduced to protect the public from the coronavirus.Met Probe Into Partygate Row A current investigation by the Metropolitan Police was preceded by the publication in late January of the initial findings of senior civil servant Sue Gray's report on the partygate-related allegations. The Gray report pointed out that there were "failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office" and that "some of the events should not have been allowed to take place".As for the Met inquiry, it is dealing with 12 separate events, including six that Johnson is believed to have attended, such as a "bring your own booze" gathering in May 2020 and the PM's birthday celebrations in June 2020. The PM previously claimed that he had not broken the rules and considered the events as work-related. He reshuffled his senior staff following the publication of Gray's initial findings, but made it clear that he intends to carry on with his job.
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BoJo to ‘Set the Record Straight’ as He Faces MPs First Time Since Being Fined Over Partygate
06:13 GMT 19.04.2022 (Updated: 15:19 GMT 28.05.2023) Last week, the UK prime minister confirmed that he had paid a police fine for attending a birthday gathering in the cabinet room in June 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. But he has defied calls to resign, arguing that his job is "to get on and deliver" for ordinary Britons.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to face MPs later on Tuesday for the first time since being fined as a result of the Metropolitan Police’s
ongoing probe into the so-called partygate scandal over alleged social gatherings at Downing Street between 2020 and 2021.
Sky News quoted unnamed Johnson aides as saying that during the address to parliament, which resumes work after the Easter break, the PM will apologise and say he "takes responsibility" for what happened — while reiterating he must get on with his job.
The news outlet reports that Johnson is expected to set out his own version of events related to the partygate as he faces accusations of hypocrisy for not following lockdown rules and allegations of lying to MPs. Last week he told a press conference that reporters and MPs “are going to have to wait until I come to Parliament [on Tuesday] when of course I will set the record straight in any way that I can”.
A key question during the parliamentary session may be whether Johnson misled MPs as reports of the Downing Street parties first emerged, when he told the House of Commons that no rules were broken.
BoJo Set to Address Ukraine Crisis
According to British media, Johnson is slated to address the Ukraine crisis, also mentioning his much-criticised plan to offshore illegal migrants to Rwanda and his visit to India scheduled for later in the week.
Observers expect the UK prime minister to ramp up the bellicose rhetoric against Russia during the Ukraine statement in a bid to avoid a no-confidence vote and keep with his job. Moscow launched a special operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine on 24 February, following a request for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics amid intensifying attacks by the Ukrainian Army.
Remarks by Downing Street sources come after UK Energy Minister Greg Hands told Sky News on Monday that “The prime minister will have his say in parliament and will outline his version of events and face questions from MPs” during the Tuesday meeting.
When asked should the PM quit if he receives another police fine, Hands said he wass “not privy to the police investigation” and that he thought it necessary “to see what the police investigation throws up […]”. According to the minister, he does not “want to prejudge the ongoing police investigation”.
He spoke as Labour's Shadow Policing Minister Sarah Jones claimed in an interview with Sky News that the PM “lied repeatedly, he misled parliament, he's ripped up the ministerial code […] we have more fines potentially to come”.
That came after unnamed sources were quoted by The Daily Mirror and The Guardian as saying that BoJo is bracing himself for three more police fines over breaching COVID lockdown rules at parties in Downing Street over the past two years.
These social gatherings purportedly include a May 2020 summer party, a November 2020 gathering in Johnson's flat with his wife on the day of special advisor Dominic Cummings' departure, and a leaving do for Lee Cain, a senior aide, in Number 10 a day later, according to the sources. One of the sources suggested that the fines could prove "fatal" for the prime minister's career.
The claims came after Johnson defied calls by the opposition to step down after he, along with his wife and
Chancellor Rishi Sunak, was fined by Scotland Yard last week for attending a lockdown-busting birthday party at Downing Street in June 2020.
In subsequent televised remarks, the PM said that he "fully" respects the outcome of the police investigation and understands "the anger that many will feel" that he himself "fell short when it came to observing the very rules" that his government had introduced to protect the public from the coronavirus.
"I accept in all sincerity that people have a right to expect better. Now I feel an even greater sense of obligation to deliver on the priorities of the British people […]. I take that task with due humility but with maximum determination to fulfill my duty and do what's best for the country I serve. I believe it's my job to get on and deliver for the people of this country. That's what I'm going to do", Johnson added.
Met Probe Into Partygate Row
A current investigation by the Metropolitan Police was preceded by the publication in late January of the initial findings of
senior civil servant Sue Gray's report on the partygate-related allegations. The Gray report pointed out that there were "failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office" and that "some of the events should not have been allowed to take place".
As for the Met inquiry, it is dealing with 12 separate events, including six that Johnson is believed to have attended, such as a "bring your own booze" gathering in May 2020 and the PM's birthday celebrations in June 2020. The PM previously claimed that he had not broken the rules and considered the events as work-related. He reshuffled his senior staff following the publication of Gray's initial findings, but made it clear that he intends to carry on with his job.
