By Tony O’Reilly-
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have been fined by the police for breaking lockdown laws.
The PM’s wife, Carrie Johnson, has also been given a fixed penalty notice.
Sunak is known to have attended the surprise birthday celebration for Johnson in June 2020 organized by the PM’s wife, Carrie Johnson.
A Downing Street spokesman confirmed the prime minister was found to be in breach of Covid restrictions on June 19, 2020 – when indoor socializing with people from other households was banned.
Conservative MP Conor Burns had previously defended Mr Johnson, saying the event was not premeditated and he had been ‘ambushed with a cake’.
Speaking in January, Number 10 conceded ‘a group of staff working in No 10 that day gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room after a meeting to wish the Prime Minister a happy birthday’, but added that: ‘He was there for less than ten minutes.’
However, they denied reports of a later indoor bash, saying the British leader only hosted a small number of family members outside.
A maximum of six people were allowed to meet outdoors at the time.
Previous reports suggest up to 30 people sang the Tory leader happy birthday and presented him with a cake in the Cabinet Room on this day.
A No 10 spokesman said today: ‘The Met Police have now explained that the FPN issued to the PM will be in relation to the following incident:
‘On June 19 2020 at the Cabinet Room, 10 Downing Street, between 1400 and 1500 you participated in a gathering of two or more people indoors in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street.
It was alleged his wife Carrie Johnson – who has also been given a fixed penalty notice – arranged the gathering, before family friends were hosted upstairs in the PM’s residence.
The PM’s official photographer took the pictures, with the prime minister featuring at the event “raising his can of Estrella beer towards the camera in a toast”. Sunak, who is teetotal, was drinking a soft drink.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak must resign.
The Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said there was “simply no way either the prime minister or chancellor can continue”.
Sunak outside 11 Downing Street. Image: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images,
The Met is investigating alleged Covid law-breaking at 12 gatherings in Whitehall and Downing Street. So far, more than 50 fines have been handed out, with more expected.
A spokeswoman for the Covid Bereaved Families, Lobby Akinnola, said it was “unbelievably painful” to know such senior members of government attended parties while they were unable to be with their dying loved ones.
He added: “The fact that the prime minister and his chancellor then lied about it, and would have continued to do so if the police hadn’t intervened, is truly shameless.
“They broke the law. But even worse, they took us all for mugs.”
Labour’s Sir Keir said the fines for the PM and chancellor showed the Conservatives were “totally unfit to govern”, adding: “Britain deserves better.
Allies of the prime minister have made it clear he had no plans to resign even if he received a fine.
“Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign.”
Many Tory MPs said earlier this year they would postpone a decision about whether or not to force Johnson out of office until they knew for sure whether or not the PM was being fined. Some said a PM shown to have broken the law cannot remain in the office.
It is unclear at this point whether the fines could trigger a vote of no confidence in Johnson , and lead to his removal. Removing the prime minister from his office will not be as easy as his critics believe.
His statesmanship role in the Ukraine war has convinced many Mps the argument that it would be wrong to remove the prime minister in the middle of an international crisis. of this nature.
And, fourth, even if there were a no confidence vote, it is by no means clear that 181 MPs (50% plus one) would vote to remove him. There is no obvious successor and Sunak, who until recently was seen as an obvious replacement, has seen his popularity with the public nose-dive in recent weeks.