The official residence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson reported that the police would take heavily fine PM Johnson and Treasurer Chief Rishi Sunak for breaching COVID-19 regulations, following allegations of lockdown parties at the government office.
London’s Metropolitan Police informed on Tuesday that they were issuing 30 more fixed penalty notices concerning the “partygate” scandal, which has angered many in Britain and seen dozens of politicians and officials investigated over allegations that the government disregarded its pandemic restrictions.
“The Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have received notification that the Metropolitan police intend to issue them with fixed penalty notices,” a spokesperson for Johnson’s office said. “We have no further details.”
It was not clear how much Johnson and Sunak were fined. Johnson has denied any wrongdoing, but he is alleged to have been at half of the dozen events in his 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings investigated by the police.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Ministers’ Questions session in Parliament in London on March 30, 2022.
Johnson’s government has been shaken by public anger over revelations that his staff held “bring your own booze” office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays” in 2020 and 2021, while millions in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family because of his government’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Thousands of people were fined between 60 pounds ($79) and 10,000 pounds ($13,200) by police for rule-breaking social gatherings.
Opponents, and some members of the governing Conservative Party, have said for months that Johnson should resign if he is issued a fine for breaking rules he imposed on the rest of the country during the pandemic.
