On Wednesday, British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson clarified that he had no intentions of stepping down from his premiership amid rising calls for his resignation over several parties at his residence and office that violated lockdown restrictions. Meanwhile, the British police announced their decision to investigate the allegations, which has further strengthened the resistance towards Johnson’s leadership.
The British PM was responding to a question posed by opposition Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, who highlighted that Johnson’s repeated denials and lies surrounding the Downing Street lockdown gatherings should trigger his resignation. In response, the PM said that he would not step down over the allegations and would “get on with the job.”
Johnson has been caught in a string of scandals recently that brought to light the several parties attended by British ministers as the country’s citizens struggled with COVID-19 restrictions. This includes a party on November 27, a Department of Education meeting on December 10, a Christmas quiz on December 15, a December 18 Christmas party at Downing Street and a Downing Street staff party hosted by the PM at his residence in May 2020. Furthermore, earlier this week, Johnson also admitted to attending a get-together to mark his birthday at his Downing Street office. As a result, an internal probe has been launched to look into the allegations.
Consequently, Johnson’s popularity has been steadily declining. According to a Survation poll on Wednesday, around 62% adults in the UK wanted him to resign as the country’s PM. Similar numbers were also reported by a Savanta ComRes poll (66%) and an Opinium survey (63%).
Furthermore, due to amplifying calls for the PM’s resignation, the British police announced an inquiry into the parties held at Downing Street, which were in violation of the restrictions imposed on gatherings to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. According to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, there was evidence to suggest that the attendees of the gatherings “knew, or ought to have known, what they were doing was an offense.” However, it remains unclear whether Johnson was being investigated or not.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, in an attempt to quell citizens and politicians opposing COVID-19 restrictions, Johnson withdrew all measures in place, including mandating masks and COVID-19 passes, and encouraged working from home. He said that the decision was made in pursuance of advice from experts who believe that the wave prompted by the Omicron variant “has now peaked nationally.” However, Starmer said that the PM must reassure the UK people that his decision was made to “protect” the health of British citizens, and not Johnson’s job.
Similarly, British Home Secretary Priti Patel also announced that the British Royal Navy would be deployed to restrict illegal migrant crossings across the English Channel. Commentators believed that cracking down on migrant crossings could provide him with the populist support needed to cruise over the various scandals related to his ministers’ violation of COVID-19 lockdown protocols in 2020.