The career of the British prime minister hung by a thread after the multiple controversies after the ‘partygate’ for which his resignation was demanded
Alcohol, prohibited parties, lies and continuous public outrage have accompanied British Prime Minister Boris Johnson since December last year, when the first evidence of what is now known as ‘partygate’ came to light. The scandal with which the ‘premier’ and many other government officials celebrated parties with alcohol in Downing Street, in the midst of a pandemic and without security measures, after announcing the prohibition of all social gatherings has laid the foundations for the plummeting of its popularity. In just six months, Johnson has sunk so low that his political future is most uncertain.
The trigger for his downfall was the publication last December of a video that confirmed a Christmas party when the restrictions issued by the Government to contain the spread of covid prohibited such gatherings. And then, in early January, with the revelation of an email from his private secretary, Martin Reynolds, in which on May 20, 2020, he invited a hundred employees to a massive Downing Street garden party. It was the chronicle of a death foretold. The criticism was not long in coming and, after confirming that he did not attend the controversial ‘spree’, he ended up apologizing after finally acknowledging that he attended the social gathering, although “implicitly assuming” that it was a “work event”. At that time, a possible resignation from the position was in sight, an action that the opposition has demanded as well as a large part of public opinion, but Johnson remained firm in his position.
Shortly after the flame was fanned with a new controversy. “Friday wine”, as the employees of Number 10 called them, where this classic weekly tradition of having a drink on the last working day took place, which did not stop during the pandemic, not even in confinement. In fact, as published by the newspaper ‘The Mirror’, the event was so popular that the staff invested 142 pounds (about 170 euros) in acquiring a mini-fridge with a capacity for 34 bottles to keep the “wine and beer” cool. To save his bad reputation, Johnson prohibited alcohol in the Executive headquarters.
Since then, the investigation of the official Sue Gray threatened the tranquility of the ‘premier’. Although his sleep problems also came from other areas. Citizens turned against him, some even humorously. This is the case of a hundred Britons who protested in the streets of London disguised as Johnson. Dressed in a suit, tie, with blonde wigs and wearing ‘premier’ masks, they drank alcohol chanting “my name is Boris” and “this is a work meeting”, alluding to the excuse he presented in Parliament. His popularity plummeted on the street. “People have sacrificed a lot and the least you can expect from the government is that it follows its own rules,” said Tom, a 22-year-old chemistry student. “Having a party when you’ve told people you can’t get together… The lack of ethics and morality is excessive. How can you govern the country with such a lack of decency », added his friend, Grace.
“Inability to Lead”
In the political sector, sticks have fallen on him from all sides, even from his own ranks, since he initially denied in Parliament having attended these parties and, later, after photos came to light in which he was warned in the themselves with a drink in hand, admit their presence and apologize for it. The opposition has asked for his ‘head’ on several occasions. The leader of the Labor Party, Keir Starmer, has demanded for the umpteenth time the resignation of the ‘premier’ due to his “inability to lead”. Even from the conservative side they criticize him. “We need leadership. Lead or step aside », pointed out the conservative deputy Tobias Ellwood, for whom the future of the president at the head of the United Kingdom is « unsustainable » due to his « pattern of behavior ». Over time, the list of deputies asking for his resignation has increased considerably.
Already in April Scotland Yard fined him for skipping the restrictions that his own Government imposed, with the celebration of his birthday, on June 19, 2020, with thirty officials, advisers and ministers. The ‘premier’ paid the amount of the sentence and apologized, although he again defended his innocence. On May 20, the Police closed their investigation into the ‘partygate’ with 126 fines. And just four days later, new photos were revealed of Johnson at another illegal party on November 13, 2020, breaking the confinement rules he imposed just a week before.
The straw that broke a glass that was too full was Sue Gray’s report, in which she highlighted that the Government had made “leadership failures” and asked to purge “responsibilities”, to which Johnson apologized but did not resign. The secretary of the British Home Office before Parliament, Paul Holmes, did, however, denouncing that “a toxic culture seems to have penetrated Number 10.” Johnson is the first British president who has broken the law while in charge of the country, but until now he has resisted political and citizen pressure. Located on a tightrope for six months, and chested for his role as mediator in the war in Ukraine, the motion of censure now decides his future.
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