Video piles pressure on UK’s Johnson in lockdown-party saga

2 years ago 295

LONDON – A leaked video that shows unit members successful British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bureau joking astir holding a lockdown-breaching Christmas enactment is adding substance to allegations that authorities officials flouted coronavirus rules they imposed connected everyone else.

For days, the premier minister’s bureau has been trying to rebut reports that Johnson's unit held a December 2020 bureau enactment — implicit with wine, food, games and a festive acquisition speech — erstwhile pandemic regulations banned astir societal gatherings.

According to aggregate British media outlets, the enactment took spot connected Dec. 18, erstwhile restrictions successful London prohibited astir indoor gatherings, and a time earlier Johnson tightened the rules adjacent further, ruling retired household Christmas celebrations for millions of people.

The premier minister’s bureau said successful effect to the footage broadcaster ITV aired precocious Tuesday that “there was nary Christmas party. COVID rules person been followed astatine each times.”

The video, recorded connected Dec. 22, 2020, shows then-press caput Allegra Stratton appearing to gag astir an illicit enactment astatine the premier minister's Downing Street office.

The signaling appears to beryllium a mock quality conference, held arsenic a rehearsal for televised regular authorities media briefings.

Another aide, playing a journalist, says: “I’ve conscionable seen reports connected Twitter that determination was a Downing Street Christmas enactment connected Friday night, bash you admit those reports?”

As laughter is heard, Stratton, the property secretary, says: “I went home” and asks colleagues: “What’s the answer?” Another dependable tin beryllium heard saying: “It wasn’t a party, it was food and wine.”

“Is food and vino each right? It was a concern meeting,” a laughing Stratton says.

Thousands of radical successful Britain person been fined since aboriginal 2020 for breaking restrictions by holding amerciable gatherings. London’s Metropolitan Police unit said officers were reviewing the leaked video successful narration to “alleged breaches” of coronavirus regulations.

The person of the absorption Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said the premier curate should “come cleanable and apologize.”

“People crossed the state followed the rules adjacent erstwhile that meant being separated from their families, locked down and — tragically for galore — incapable to accidental goodbye to their loved ones,” Starmer said. “They had a close to expect that the authorities was doing the same. To prevarication and to laughter astir those lies is shameful.”

The Christmas enactment claims are the latest successful a drawstring of allegations of rule-breaking and morals violations by Johnson’s Conservative government.

Last year, Johnson resisted unit to occurrence his then-top aide, Dominic Cummings, for driving crossed England to his parents’ location portion helium was falling sick with COVID-19, successful breach of a nationwide “stay-at-home” order. Cummings has since near the government.

In June, Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned aft leaked video showed him kissing an adjutant successful a authorities bureau portion some of them were joined to different people, astatine a clip erstwhile restrictions forbade hugs and different carnal interaction with radical extracurricular one’s ain household.

Dr. Saleyha Ahsan from the radical COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice said the Christmas enactment allegations were a “bullet to the chest” of families who person mislaid loved ones during the pandemic. Many person been barred by restrictions from visiting gravely sick oregon dying relatives successful hospitals.

Ahsan said it was “an illustration of however the authorities person tally this from the start: One regularisation for them and the remainder of america person to adhere to antithetic rules.”

With implicit 145,000 COVID-19 deaths successful the pandemic, Britain has the second-highest microorganism decease toll successful Europe aft Russia.

The enactment allegations travel arsenic the British authorities considers whether to reimpose immoderate restrictions to dilatory the dispersed of the caller omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Two authorities ministers pulled retired of planned media appearances Wednesday wherever they had been owed to sermon the coronavirus concern and Britain's booster vaccination campaign.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, asked astir the enactment claims aft delivering a foreign-policy speech, failed to connection a beardown endorsement of the premier curate and his staff.

“I don’t cognize the item of what happened,” Truss said. "I cognize that the premier minister’s spokesperson answered those questions successful item yesterday and I americium definite determination volition beryllium further treatment of that issue.”

___

Follow AP’s pandemic sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

Read Entire Article