Saturday, December 18, 2021
Was he celebrating in lockdown too?
Johnson’s party investigator resigns
Simon Case is actually supposed to investigate possible corona violations by British government employees. The affair surrounding an alleged lockdown celebration is not least putting Prime Johnson under pressure. It is now reported that parties are also said to have taken place in the official’s department.
The official tasked with investigating a Christmas party carried out by government officials in the UK media has withdrawn after reports of possible violations of his own. “In order to maintain public confidence in the ongoing investigation, the Cabinet Secretary has withdrawn for the remainder of the proceedings,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office.
The highest British official, Simon Case, had been tasked with the internal investigation of possible corona violations by Johnson’s closest employees. British media have now reported that Case’s own department also held two celebrations last December despite the current Corona rules. Instead, Sue Gray, an officer in the Department of Housing, Community and Local Government, “should investigate the facts and present their findings to the Prime Minister,” the Downing Street statement said.
Last week, a video published by ITV News about a possible Christmas party by Johnson’s employees in the middle of the Corona lockdown last December triggered outrage. The video shows Johnson’s then spokeswoman Allegra Stratton standing at the lectern during a rehearsal for a press conference almost a year ago and answering questions from her colleagues about a celebration that is said to have taken place a few days earlier.
“This fictional party was an open-ended business meeting,” says Stratton, but bursts into laughter. Johnson’s advisors then joke, among other things, about “cheese and wine” that should have been given at the celebration. At the time, London had strict Corona rules and it was forbidden to meet several people in closed rooms.
Johnson had repeatedly asserted that his employees had not violated Corona guidelines. The prime minister and his government have recently come under increasing pressure due to a series of scandals. In a by-election for a seat in the British House of Commons in the North Shropshire constituency, which was considered a mood test for Johnson, his party lost significantly.