Boris Johnson contacted by London’s Metropolitan Police over lockdown parties
- The UK prime minister has received a questionnaire from the police as part of an investigation into parties in Downing Street during Covid-19 lockdowns
- If Johnson is found to have broken his government’s own coronavirus rules, he could be fined and will face even more pressure to stand down from fellow politicians
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a questionnaire from London’s Metropolitan Police as part of the investigation into parties in Downing Street during Covid-19 lockdowns, his office said on Saturday.
If he is found to have broken his government’s own coronavirus rules, the embattled prime minister could be fined and will face even more pressure to stand down from fellow politicians already furious at his proximity to the “partygate” affair.
A growing number of politicians from his own party are calling for his removal, and even former leaders have lined up to warn him against attempting to cling to power if he is found to have broken rules.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said it would be “very tough” to hang on if the police find that Johnson broke the law, while former Prime Minister John Major accused Johnson and his government of treating the truth as optional and “shredding” the UK’s global reputation.
The prime minister’s office confirmed in a statement that he had been contacted by police. It comes with tensions boiling in Ukraine, and UK nationals warned to evacuate the country over the possibility of a Russian invasion.