A long-awaited investigative report published on Wednesday has accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other top leaders of breaking Covid-19 quarantine rules by hosting boozy government parties in Whitehall and Downing Street.
Senior civil servant Sue Gray, the report’s author, slammed what she described as a culture of rule-breaking events, calling on “the senior leadership at the center” to take responsibility for allowing lockdown-violating parties to take place.
“There is no excuse for some of the behavior,” Gray wrote, mentioning excessive alcohol consumption.
The investigative report focused on 16 events held in the UK after the government imposed strict restrictions to deal with Covid-19. It released new photos of the prime minister at two separate events, including one showing him lifting a can of beer at a birthday party in his honor.
The dossier also showed records of email exchanges with staff discussing how to hide the parties from the media.
Gray pointed to “failures of leadership and judgment in No. 10,” referring to Prime Minister Johnson’s office at 10 Downing St.
“Those in the most junior positions attended gatherings at which their seniors were present, or indeed organized,” she stated.
The report and photos revealing Johnson and his staff breaking the rules while UK residents faced strict controls with bans on gatherings have caused outrage among UK residents.
In response, opposition politicians have called on the prime minister to resign, but he has rejected such calls.
While most ruling party lawmakers have supported him, a Savanta ComRes poll showed that 65% or two-thirds of Britons thought Johnson should resign over the findings in the controversial report on what people call “partygate.”
After the report was released, the prime minister spoke in Parliament and said he had learned his lesson. “I take full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch,” he added.
However, Johnson insisted he was “shocked and disappointed” that booze parties were taking place, stating that gatherings only escalated after he left. He also said he briefly attended them only to thank his staff for their service.
It is unclear whether the report will change lawmakers’ support for Johnson, but the revelations have caused widespread anger in the UK population. Also, Johnson’s reputation took a hit as he became the first Briton to be fined for breaking the law while in charge after police fined 83 people for illegal parties during the pandemic.
