Former consultant "Mending the Knife", Johnson said hard: he thought the party was a work activity

Source: Reference News Network

Reference News Network reported on January 20 that according to Agence France-Presse London reported on January 18, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson "categorically" denied his former chief adviser's allegations of lying to Parliament about his attendance at the 10th Downing Street party during the strict lockdown.

Johnson, who made his first public appearance after days of self-isolation, also sidestepped questions about whether he would resign if an internal investigation confirmed he had indeed lied.

According to the British "Times" website reported on January 18, Boris Johnson's first public appearance in nearly a week highlights the seriousness of his current governing crisis.

Johnson refuted the claims of former chief adviser Dominique Cummings. Cummings said Johnson had been reminded before attending a party in Downing Street in May 2020 that doing so violated lockdown rules. On the 12th, he reiterated his defense in the "Prime Minister's Q&A" session in the lower house of parliament, saying that he thought the garden party was a work activity.

The report also said that Johnson's tone and demeanor were the most vivid reflection of the crisis. In the 14-minute interview with Britain's Sky News channel on Tuesday, he hung his head several times and stared at the floor. Even if the lower half of his face is covered by a mask, it is still difficult to hide his despair.

Perhaps the most embarrassing thing for Johnson is that he had to behave this way in order to survive the crisis in power. A carefully worded apology in the House of Commons last week did nothing to calm the anger of Conservative MPs, who now hold Johnson's political fortunes. Many believe that Johnson did not show enough remorse.

The basic questions that Hugh Gray, a senior government official in charge of investigating the matter, needed to answer in his report were those: How many parties had been held? Who knows? When was it held? What's the difference between a party and a work event? The key point is: How much responsibility should Johnson personally assume?

Cummings' latest claims complicate the situation further. If confirmed, his allegations would deal Johnson a heavy, even fatal, blow.