An apology, but no resignation. Boris Johnson showed himself determined on Tuesday, April 12, to stay in power, after being fined for a birthday party in violation of anti-Covid rules – an unprecedented sanction for a British Prime Minister in office. A time on an ejection seat in January due to this crisis known as “partygate”, the conservative leader now seems protected by the war in Ukraine which cools the ardor among his majority of those who, there a little, said they were ready to dislodge him.
The punishment, announced by Downing Street on Tuesday, is, however, a severe setback for Boris Johnson, who not only broke the law but also took the risk of claiming he had done nothing illegal in Parliament during the bribes. departures, aperitifs in the sun and other parties held during confinement and revealed in recent months by the press. He declared on television that he had paid the fine and presented “full apology” for this surprise birthday which lasted, according to him, “less than ten minutes” on June 19, 2020, in the Council of Ministers room, for his 56th birthday. “I must say frankly that it did not seem to me, at the time, that it could break the rules”he pleaded.
If he assured “Understand Anger”he swept aside the calls for the resignation, launched in particular by the leader of the Labor Party, Keir Starmer, and the first Scottish independence minister, Nicola Sturgeon. “I now want to continue and fulfill the mandate that is mine”he explained, citing the economy and the war in Ukraine.
His finance minister, Rishi Sunak, and his wife, Carrie Johnson, were also fined for breaches of parties in power circles in 2020 and 2021. At the time, Britons were told to drastically reduce their social interactions to combat the spread of Covid-19. Carrie Johnson, sanctioned for the same event as her husband, “unreservedly apologize”even if she thought “acting within the rules” said his spokesperson. “I deeply regret the frustration and anger caused and I am sorry”said, for his part, Rishi Sunak, rejecting any resignation.
No vote of confidence
Aware of the popular anger, several Conservative MPs had openly spoken out a few months ago for the departure of Boris Johnson, but the rebels were not numerous enough to trigger a vote of no confidence. Today, Boris Johnson benefits from a favorable context, the international crisis around Ukraine dissuading the parliamentarians of his conservative camp from trying to oust him.
Conservative MP Roger Gale said he was not “not ready to give Vladimir Putin the satisfaction of thinking that we are about to overthrow the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and destabilize the coalition against Putin”. The leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, Douglas Ross, who had once called for the resignation of Boris Johnson, also finally opposed this departure which “would destabilize the UK when we need to be united in the face of Russian aggression”.
The parliamentary recess saves Boris Johnson annoying questions from the opposition – at least until the debates resume on Tuesday. Finally, Rishi Sunak, who was tipped as a possible successor to Boris Johnson, is himself sanctioned and weakened by revelations about his tax situation and that of his wife.
More than 50 fines in this case
But the Prime Minister is weakened and has seen his popularity erode, he who triumphantly came to power in July 2019. A majority of Britons (57%) believe that he should resign, according to a YouGov poll, carried out among 2 464 Britons after the announcement of the fine.
An internal preliminary report had already pinpointed “errors of leadership and judgment” in this case, pointing the finger at unjustified gatherings and the consumption of alcohol at work. In total, the police issued more than 50 fines for breaches of anti-Covid rules in this case, without specifying the names of the recipients.
For the association of families bereaved by the Covid-19 pandemic, Bereaved Families for Justice, there is no “simply means that the Prime Minister or the Chancellor [Rishi Sunak] can continue [à exercer] ».