Johnson’s party scandal returns
London police fine 20 attendees over covid violations
LONDON — Reviving a politically dangerous scandal for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, London police Tuesday levied 20 fines on people accused of breaching covid lockdown restrictions by attending social gatherings at 10 Downing St.
The Metropolitan Police Service did not identify who had been fined, prompting an immediate guessing game in British political circles. But the notification that police issued a first set of fines was confirmation that it had found that the social gatherings at the prime minister’s office had violated the law.
Police issued a questionnaire to Johnson, who was present at several of the gatherings under scrutiny. But the prime minister, who has steadfastly denied he violated any rules, was not among those told that they had been fined, according to Downing Street.
“We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of COVID-19 regulations,” the police force said in a statement, noting that it may impose additional fines. “We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed and have completed a number of assessments.”
It was not clear how many people had been cited — it is possible that some received more than one notice — and police did not say how much the accused would have to pay. Downing Street said it did not know the identities of those who had been fined, and it would not say whether those who had been penalized would keep their jobs.
Still, after facing the looming threat of a no-confidence vote, Johnson’s political fortunes have rebounded markedly in the past six weeks, largely because the war in Ukraine has eclipsed the outcry over the parties.
While Johnson has insisted he will not resign, he is not out of the woods yet. Downing Street has said it will disclose any penalty the prime minister receives, and once the police investigation is complete, the government has promised to release a full internal report on the scandal by a senior civil servant, Sue Gray.
A highly redacted version of the report, released at the end of January, painted a picture of the drinking culture in Downing Street and condemned Johnson for failing to exercise better leadership.
The police initially appeared reluctant to investigate allegations that illicit parties had been held in Downing Street. They announced their investigation only under intense pressure, after weeks of unflattering reports in the news media.
Reports of alcohol-fueled gatherings during lockdowns drew criticism that the government was guilty of a double standard. Johnson’s personal approval ratings plunged, and the opposition Labour Party leapt to a double-digit advantage over the Conservatives in some opinion polls.
The Tories have since closed that gap, and some members of the opposition renewed their calls for Johnson to step down.
On Tuesday, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, said in a statement, “The buck stops with the prime minister, who spent months lying to the British public, which is why he has got to go.”
Johnson was even forced to apologize to Buckingham Palace for two parties held the night before the funeral for Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, at which she was forced to grieve alone in a stall at Windsor Castle’s chapel, isolated from other members of the royal family because of the restrictions.
In the weeks since then, however, Johnson has tried to recast his image, emerging as an ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, whom he telephones virtually every day. Britain was among the first countries to supply lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine, and Zelenskyy has credited Johnson for his support.
The Conservative Party still faces local elections in May, which some officials fear are shaping up as a punishing referendum on the government, not just because of the scandal involving the parties but also because energy shortages and the war in Ukraine have fueled sharp cost-of-living increases.
But analysts pointed out that these developments mainly tarnished Johnson’s biggest internal rival, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the Exchequer. He received negative reviews last week for a budget plan that critics said failed to cushion people from the effects of galloping inflation. With Sunak no longer as ready a replacement for Johnson, the prime minister’s position seems more secure.
“I think he will ride out the storm,” said Matthew Goodwin, a professor of politics at the University of Kent.