Prime minister Boris Johnson is facing British lawmakers on Tuesday for the first time since he was fined by police for attending a birthday party in his broken office. Coronavirus lock rule.
When the House of Commons returns from an 11-day Easter break, Johnson is expected to apologize again for what he insists was a minor negligence, but opposes opposition calls for his resignation because ignored the restrictions he had imposed on the country during the pandemic.
The opposition Labor Party is trying to get lawmakers to criticize Johnson over the “partisan” scandal. The Speaker of the House, Lindsay Hoyle, has said he will allow Labor to hold a Commons debate and vote on whether Johnson should be investigated for allegedly misleading Parliament. Ministers were found to have done what would normally be expected to resign.
The vote is scheduled for Thursday. Earlier, Johnson was expected to appear in denial but said it would be wrong to change leaders while Britain faces crises, including the war in Ukraine and a cost squeeze. living due to high prices of energy and commodities.
Johnson and his Conservative government have faced growing outrage since allegations surfaced late last year that he and his staff held office parties on Sunday. 2020 and 2021 when millions of people in the country are banned from seeing friends and family, or even attending funerals for their loved ones.
Johnson was fined £50 ($66) last week for attending his own surprise birthday party in Downing Street in June 2020. The fine makes Johnson the first British prime minister ever to be charged. discovered a violation of the law while in office.
The fine follows a police investigation and a civil authority investigation into the gatherings. Johnson tries to dismiss the questions, first by saying that there are no sides and then by insisting that he believes no rules have been broken.
Cabinet Secretary Brandon Lewis insists Johnson is not a liar and has always claimed “what he believes to be the truth.”
“What he told Congress he believed was true at the time,” Lewis said.
Earlier this year, Johnson’s takeover appeared to have been cut short by scandal and the departures of several top aides. Allies fear “partying” could become the tipping point for a leader who has weathered a series of other storms over his costs and moral judgment. Several Conservative lawmakers have publicly called for a vote of no confidence in their leader.
But Johnson went ahead because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drew public and political attention to the issue.
Johnson’s international image, battered by Britain’s departure from the European Union under his leadership, was revived by his unwavering military, political and moral support for Ukraine. Johnson traveled to Kyiv earlier this month to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Johnson could still be fined more. The London Metropolitan Police Force is investigating dozens of events, including “bring your own” office parties and “alcohol Fridays”, organized by Johnson staff. So far, at least 50 tickets have been awarded, including to Johnson, his wife Carrie and Treasurer Rishi Sunak.
If Johnson is punished again, calls for a vote of no confidence could grow among Conservatives. For now, Conservative lawmaker Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said his colleagues were “holding their verdict and waiting to see what happens”.
But his Conservative counterpart Tobias Ellwood, who heads the Commons Defense Committee, said the government “shouldn’t have used fig leaves about our engagement with Ukraine to somehow say this is not.” It’s time to tackle those tough challenges.”
He said the party should hold a vote of no confidence to determine if “the Prime Minister has the support and we move forward or it’s time for a change.”
© 2022 Canadian Press
