According to the Financial Times, British Prime Minister Johnson admitted for the first time on the 12th that he had violated the new crown epidemic prevention regulations to participate in the cocktail party in 2020. Johnson and his cabinet members 'only allow state officials to set fires, not the people to light lamps' series of actions caused strong public dissatisfaction, and opposition parties believed that Johnson should resign.
ITV previously reported that Johnson's chief private secretary, Martin Reynolds, organized a cocktail party in the garden of the Prime Minister's Office on May 20, 2020, attended by about 40 government officials, while the United Kingdom was imposing a "lockdown" epidemic prevention regulation. Reporters saw Reynolds write in an email sent to more than 100 people: "Hello everyone! After an unusually busy time, we thought it would be a good idea to have a drink and enjoy the good weather at 10 Downing Street tonight, with some social distancing, so please join us from 6 p.m. and bring a drink. In the end, about 40 people attended the reception, including Prime Minister Johnson and his fiancée Carrie. A witness to the party said that the reception was mainly attended by the staff of 10 Downing Street, "which is obviously a violation of epidemic prevention regulations".
The news sparked outrage, and Johnson at one point refused to respond, saying only that Hugh Gray, a senior British government official, was investigating such incidents. However, on the 12th, Johnson admitted that he had participated in the cocktail party when questioned by the lower house of the British Parliament, but he also did not forget to excuse himself, saying that he thought it was an official activity at the time, in order to thank the staff around him. Johnson said he was sorry for the act and would be held responsible for attending the reception, but would not deal with it until the special investigation into the matter was completed.
Reuters reported that the exposure of the reception put Johnson under constant pressure and jeopardized his status as prime minister. The poll results released by the British polling agency on the 11th showed that the Conservative government he led had lost its lead, and most of the respondents believed that Johnson should resign.
The opposition Labour Party accused Johnson of "making rules for others and not caring about it himself". The party's leader, Starrmer, said the prime minister's rhetoric was "ridiculous" and an "affront" to the British public. The Scottish National Party said the emails exposed by the media were "completely intolerable". Gavin Pavel, an aide to former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, also said such a gathering was "unbelievable".
Previously, the Johnson administration had exposed a number of scandals that violated epidemic prevention regulations. A British television station broadcast a video recorded by staff of the Prime Minister's Office in December 2020 late last year showing a suspected Christmas party in the Prime Minister's Office, in violation of the epidemic prevention regulations at the time. In May 2021, then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock and his married female aide were filmed in their offices behaving intimately and in violation of COVID-19 regulations, before Hancock apologized to the public and resigned. On March 27, 2020, the day Johnson announced his confirmed infection with the new crown virus, Cummings, who was close to him, drove hundreds of kilometers to his parents' home, violating the "stay-at-home order" at the time. What is even more ridiculous is that Cummings himself is one of the authors of the "stay-at-home order".
Author: Lu Yuwen
Editor: Liu Chang
Photo: Xinhua News Agency