A close collaborator of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned on Wednesday (8) due to a video that left the Executive in trouble, for joking about a Christmas party supposedly held in Downing Street when this type of meeting was banned by the Covid-19.
Renowned former journalist Allegra Stratton, who has worked for the BBC, The Guardian newspaper and the private channel ITV, was elected in October 2020 to become the face of official communication, leading daily television-style press conferences. White House.
Stratton, 41, is married to the head of politics at the conservative magazine The Spectator, for which Boris Johnson, also a former journalist, was editor-in-chief.
However, this Wednesday, she became the first victim of a controversy that has been growing for more than a week and that has put the prime minister under severe pressure: a survey by SavantaComRes showed that 54% of respondents believe that Johnson must resign.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, the conservative leader announced during the weekly question session in the House of Commons that he asked “the cabinet secretary to investigate” whether members of his staff violated the rules against the covid last year.
If proven, “there will be consequences,” Johnson promised, saying he “understands and shares the nation’s outrage” and is “angry” by the video. He apologized “without reservation” for the “offense” and “impression” provoked by the jokes of some of his collaborators.
– Cheese, wine and laughter –
The controversy revolves around an alleged nightly meeting held on December 18, 2020, which, according to the press, attended up to 50 members of Johnson’s cabinet, with food, drink and games.
There is also talk of another meeting, a farewell party at which Johnson himself would have given a speech, but which was not mentioned by the prime minister on Wednesday.
In recent days, he denied any violation of the rules that, at that time, prohibited any social gathering in closed spaces, even between two people who did not live together. But the video released Tuesday night by private channel ITV appears to contradict that version.
On taping, Stratton, Special Adviser Ed Oldfied, and other aides braced on December 22 for compromising questions in a rehearsal of the new press conferences that never happened because Downing Street canceled the project despite already building an expensive set. to carry them out.
There were no journalists present and Stratton – who later became a COP26 spokesperson and special adviser – was answering a question from Oldfied about an alleged Downing Street Christmas party the Friday before.
“This party, I imagine, was a business meeting, with cheese and wine, and without social distance”, he jokes.
“Would the prime minister approve a Christmas party?” asks Oldfied, to which Stratton reacts by asking, “What’s the answer?”
– Police investigation –
“To all those who have lost their loved ones, endured intolerable loneliness and fought for their business: I am truly sorry and this afternoon I offer my resignation to the Prime Minister,” announced the ex-spokesperson amidst sobs in a brief appearance before of the cameras.
The video once again puts the Executive in trouble, at a time when it is considering applying new restrictions soon, such as returning from remote work or vaccination passports, to combat the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Left and right politicians say they fear that the population will circumvent the new rules when they consider that their leaders do not respect them. Labor Party leader Keir Starmer denounced that Johnson and his staff “are treating the public with contempt.”
London police said they are examining the video for “alleged breaches” of anti-covid legislation at the time.
The controversy also sparked outrage in Johnson’s own conservative ranks, where many deputies criticized this apparent violation of the rules and some even reminded that lying in the House of Commons would be grounds for calling for the prime minister’s resignation.
Johnson, once again proving his ability for ‘political escapism’, limited himself to defending that he was always confirmed that the rules were respected and that, if they weren’t, those responsible will be punished.
With 66 million inhabitants and more than 145,500 deaths since the start of the pandemic, the UK is one of the countries worst hit by covid-19 and its government was harshly criticized for the misguided policies applied at the beginning of the crisis.
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