UK parl triggers probe into PM’s ‘lies’

Event: At least 30 people meet for

“socially distanced drinks in the No. 10 garden”

Covid rules: Cannot leave house without reasonable excuse, could only meet one person outside the house in an outdoor setting

Event: Birthday party for Boris Johnson’s birthday with cake and singing, attended by up to 30 people in total

Covid rules: Most indoor gathers with more than two people banned

Johnson had previously told MPs that no lockdown laws were broken and opposition is now accusing him of misleading the parliament, a charge which the PM has denied The charge is a resigning matter under the ministerial rulebook - a document that sets out the rules and standards for UK ministers “Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation,” the Ministerial Code says

The PM, along with his wife Carrie, and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak were fined last week for breaking Covid laws to attend a party for his birthday in June 2020 at the prime minister’s official residence No. 10

Event: Two gatherings held: one to mark the departure of a special adviser and one in the Downing St flat of PM and Carrie

Covid rules: New lockdown announced in England, Indoor gatherings with other households banned, unless for work purposes

Senior civil servant Sue Gray is investigating 16 events, including “bring your own booze” office parties and “wine time Fridays” in Johnson’s 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings Police are probing a dozen of the events and so far have handed out at least 50 fines, including those to Johnson, his wife Carrie and treasury chief Rishi Sunak, and Johnson could still face more police fines

Agencies

LONDON/BEIJING: British lawmakers on Thursday ordered a parliamentary investigation into PM Boris Johnson for allegedly lying about whether he broke Covid restrictions by attending illegal gatherings during the pandemic.

The move, approved by cries of “aye” and without a formal vote in the House of Commons, means parliament’s committee of privileges will investigate whether Johnson knowingly misled parliament — historically a resigning offence if proven.

The probe piles more pressure on a Conservative prime minister whose grip on power has been shaken by claims he flouted the pandemic rules he imposed on the country, then repeatedly failed to own up to it.

The move was instigated by the opposition Labour Party and passed after the government abandoned efforts to get Conservative lawmakers to block it. Johnson’s Conservatives have a substantial majority in Parliament, but many lawmakers were uneasy with the prime minister’s behavior.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said the move sought to uphold “the simple principle that honesty, integrity and telling the truth matter in our politics.”

Shanghai reports deaths China’s financial hub Shanghai will continue implementing strict Covid-19 restrictions, local authorities said on Thursday as the city reported eight more deaths and 15,861 new local asymptomatic coronavirus, including 2,634 symptomatic infections for Wednesday.

Apart from Shanghai, 17 other provincial-level regions on the mainland saw new local Covid-19 cases, including 95 in the northeastern province of Jilin, and one in Beijing.

The average age of the eight who died on Wednesday was above 77 years, city authorities said, adding that the patients suffered from pre-existing health issues. The death toll from the ongoing outbreak stands at 25, all reported in the last four days, a surprisingly low number given that the city has logged over 200,000 cases since March.

Worldwide cases, deaths declined again last week The World Health Organisation has said that the number of reported new cases worldwide decreased by nearly a quarter last week, continuing a decline since the end of March.

The UN health agency said in a weekly report that nearly 5.59 million cases were reported between April 11 and 17, 24% fewer than in the previous week. The number of newly reported deaths dropped 21% to 18,215.

With inputs from Sutirtho Patranobis