Boris Johnson is under pressure over the Downing Street lockdown parties scandal. However, it looks like he can pull his head out of the noose again.
Update from Friday, January 28th, 2022, 4:35 p.m.: Boris Johnson should be relieved: The London police want to black out essential parts of the eagerly awaited report on lockdown parties in the British seat of government. “We have asked that the Cabinet Office report make minimal reference to the events being investigated by the Metropolitan Police,” Scotland Yard said in a statement on Friday (28 January 2022). This should prevent “any bias” in the investigation, it was said in the justification.
The police surprisingly announced on Tuesday that they would investigate the matter. This delayed the release of the internal government report by top official Sue Gray. The full report was actually expected this week. It is now questionable whether he will come to light at all before the police investigation is completed. Now Boris Johnson is still gaining valuable time, because a heavily censored report is unlikely to endanger him. The danger of a revolt in his faction seems to have been averted for the time being.
Boris Johnson: “I’ll get on with the work” – Prime Minister not thinking about resigning
Update from Wednesday, January 26th, 2022, 7:53 p.m.: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to continue government business as usual, despite calls for his resignation over the lockdown party scandal in his area. “We – and I in particular – continue to work,” Johnson replied on Wednesday in the London House of Commons to the sharp criticism of many MPs. The opposition reiterated its call for his resignation and called for the full publication of an investigative report into the party allegations.
Johnson has “showed nothing but contempt for the decency, honesty and respect that characterize this country,” said opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer. He assumes that government official Sue Gray’s investigation report will be released soon and that Johnson will have to respond to it “today or tomorrow”.
Contrary to some expectations, the government announced on Wednesday afternoon that it had not yet received the government official’s report. The broadcaster Sky News reported that the publication could not take place until next week.
Inquiry report into Downing Street incidents not yet released
Update from Wednesday, January 26th, 2022, 6:05 p.m.: The wait for the internal report on the alleged lockdown parties in the British seat of government will last at least until Thursday (01/27/2022). After the House of Commons ended its session in the evening on Wednesday, a publication on the same day was no longer expected. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had promised to address MPs immediately after its publication.
Boris Johnson is clinging to office
First report: London – The Affair Boris Johnson’s* Lockdown parties at Downing Street Government House are a dominant topic in the British media and among the population. Now the clarification of the events is getting closer. The investigation report, for which top official Sue Gray has been collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses for weeks, could be presented to the public on Wednesday (January 26, 2022), according to British media reports.
The Prime Minister Great Britain* faces uncomfortable questions in the London House of Commons this Wednesday afternoon. The police also announced on Tuesday that they would investigate the case. The list of suspected illegal gatherings in Downing Street has grown long: several Christmas parties, a birthday party, a garden party and nightly drinking sprees just before Prince Philip’s funeral*.
Sue Gray: Boris Johnson’s future depends on her report
The report, prepared by Sue Gray, is intended to clarify who celebrated when, where, how often and for how long with whom. Nothing less than Boris Johnson’s political survival depends on the outcome of the investigation. Around half a dozen Tory MPs have already publicly called for the Prime Minister’s resignation. Many others want to wait for the report first. Depending on the result, the prime minister faces a vote of no confidence*.
However, the British prime minister is not thinking of resigning. That’s what the Conservative Prime Minister said on Wednesday during question time in Parliament after a request from opposition leader Keir Stramer of the Labor Party.
UK: ‘Security concerns’ could prevent publication
Even in the run-up to the presentation of the investigation report, a dispute about the extent of publication is emerging. Liz Truss, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, hinted in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday morning that depending on the content, there could be “security concerns” that could make full disclosure problematic. The results will definitely be published.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition, had already demanded in the London House of Commons on Tuesday that the report must be made fully public. According to the Financial Times, the report should not contain details such as photos or WhatsApp messages, but rather summarize the facts. The portal Politico speculated that the opposition could demand a more comprehensive version. Not unreasonable, especially since the Sky News broadcaster reported that there were party photos of Boris Johnson with wine bottles.
Boris Johnson: Drinking culture or leadership reform?
Johnson is said to first receive the report from Rayner, who is considered uncompromising and incorruptible, and who is based in the British government’s Cabinet Office, and then has to present it to the public a few hours later. Johnson is expected to apologize again profusely and a far-reaching reform of drinking culture in Downing Street* announces – determined to save his political survival. He welcomed the police investigation on Tuesday and said it would help draw a “closure” on the matter.
It remains to be seen whether the report will turn out as Johnson envisions. The reactions within Johnson’s faction are likely to be far more exciting than the results of the great investigation into the Party Gate affair. If at least 15 percent of the conservative deputies – that is 54 parliamentarians – express no confidence in him, the prime minister must face a vote.
Boris Johnson and Party-Gate: Is his own party going to vote no-confidence?
How many secret letters Graham Brady, the chairman of the responsible committee, has received so far, nobody knows apart from Brady himself. “I don’t need Sue Gray or the police to tell me or my constituency in Harlow that what happened was pretty bad,” Johnson’s party colleague Robert Halfon told Times Radio on Wednesday – urging the PM to take responsibility to take responsibility for his actions. (lz/dpa) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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