As Boris Johnson faces MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday and Wednesday, he will face a grilling amidst fresh “partygate” allegations, UK media reported.
The prime minister, who promised to make a statement in the Commons on 19 April, is expected to apologise for breaking the coronavirus rules by attending a surprise birthday party in 10 Downing Street in June 2020. The PM will attempt to explain his actions to Tory backbenchers by indicating that he did not realise at the time that he was in breach of the law.
However, as Parliament returns after Easter recess, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have reportedly come up with a plan that they might use to their advantage at the local elections in May.
It is highly likely that MPs will vote on a formal measure to censure Johnson, who has already been fined once for breaking lockdown restrictions at the 2020 gathering.
The opposition parties are believed to be in talks with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to hold both the prime minister and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to account before Parliament after they each received a fixed-penalty notice from Scotland Yard for breaking COVID-19 laws.
If a motion holding the PM in contempt of Parliament is set to the vote, or a standards probe is called for, which could potentially result in Johnson’s suspension from the Commons, the opposition purportedly want to force Conservative backbenchers to formally vote against it.
A display of support for Johnson, who may be facing another three potential fines for lockdown breaches, according to senior sources, could help the opposition sway voters living in Tory backbenchers’ constituencies in their favour, UK outlets reported.
“Anything that can push the Conservatives into having to vote with Boris Johnson over Partygate is a good thing”, a Lib Dem source was cited as saying.
Boris Johnson is also facing the first Prime Minister’s Questions since being fined by the police last Tuesday. Critics have been demanding that the prime minister resign as he deliberately misled Parliament earlier by repeatedly claiming repeatedly that no COVID-19 rules were broken in No 10 Downing Street.
“Boris Johnson is the first prime minister in our country’s history to have broken the law. He broke the law at a time when the British people were making unimaginable sacrifices, and then lied about it repeatedly. He is unfit for office and every day he remains in Downing Street degrades his office further”, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has stated.
According to Starmer, “only Conservative MPs have the power to bring this shameful saga to a close”.
As Scotland Yard first launched its probe into “partygate”, many Tories called for the prime minister to quit. But developments around the Ukraine crisis reportedly prompted some to rethink their stance. Now many purportedly believe that it would be the wrong time for a leadership change.
Fresh ‘Partygate’ Claims
However, Boris Johnson will be facing MPs this week as fresh allegations emerged regarding lockdown parties in Downing Street, which prompted Labour to claim that he "deliberately misled the British people at every turn".
Johnson is believed to have been present at six of at least 12 gatherings investigated by Scotland Yard, including the "bring your own booze" gathering in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020.
Fresh claims now concern a leaving drinks event for Downing Street director of communications, Lee Cain, on 13 November 2020, which was reportedly "instigated" by the PM, according to The Sunday Times.
On the day in question, which started as a "usual Friday evening wash-up drinks", according to cited sources, Johnson "came fumbling over, red box in tow". The PM is said to have "gathered the staff around the press office table, which did have bottles of alcohol on it", reported the outlet.
"He said he wanted to say a few words for Lee and started pouring drinks for people and drinking himself. He toasted him", the cited sources added.
Pictures of the prime minister were allegedly taken at the event by a photographer. Boris Johnson is subsequently described as having returned to his flat above 11 Downing Street for a second gathering, attended by his wife, Carrie, and her friends, with loud Abba music played.
"A Downing Street source did not dispute the description of the event but denied that Johnson had organised it", the report concluded.
Recalling how vehemently Boris Johnson had previously insisted that "all guidance was followed" at Downing Street throughout the coronavirus lockdown, the Labour Party weighed in on the fresh allegations by saying:
"If the latest reports are true, it would mean that not only did the prime minister attend parties, but he had a hand in instigating at least one of them. He has deliberately misled the British people at every turn".
The Labour Party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, was quoted as saying that the PM had “demeaned his office”, while Tory MPs were “too busy defending the indefensible actions of Boris Johnson”.
“If the Prime Minister is not going to resign, then they must take action when Parliament returns this week to send a clear message that honesty and integrity in public life still matters”, Keir Starmer added.
Downing Street has declined to comment on the allegations after repeatedly saying it could not do so until the police investigation has concluded.