Boris Johnson: Uxbridge constituents react to partygate fines

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On Tuesday, Boris Johnson, alongside his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, were hit with fixed penalty notices (FPNs) from the Metropolitan Police for breaking Covid lockdown rules during a party at Downing Street. The Prime Minister insisted “it did not occur to him” that the meet-up would be in breach of the lockdown rules, but he has accepted the police decision and has paid the fine. He had repeatedly told the House of Commons the Covid guidelines in place were being followed at all times and that having investigated the allegations, was “satisfied” this was the case.

Mr Johnson said in a statement: “When I said that I spoke in completely good faith because as I’ve said to you just now I… at the time that I was standing up for nine minutes in the Cabinet Room where I work every day, it didn’t occur to me that, as I say, that I was in breach of the rules.

“I now humbly accept that I was. But I think the best thing I can do now is, having settled the fine, is focus on the job in hand. That’s what I’m going to do.”

His refusal to resign quickly sparked a furious reaction from many, who lashed out at Mr Johnson’s insistence he would continue in his role as Prime Minister.

But many Britons have thrown their support behind him, hitting back at calls for him to leave 10 Downing Street.

Reacting to our initial story, Express.co.uk reader “SteveJones7” wrote: “All the lefties and the EU trolls out in force today hoping for the best.”

Fellow reader “UKraine heroes” defiantly said: “He’s going nowhere! You moaners must cry harder.”

“Basil Faulty” said: “Only remoaning wokesters are complaining. No-one else actually cares about some silly party.

“There are far bigger issues to worry about.”

While “Matticulous” had this message for the Prime Minister: “Tell ’em to do one Boris!”

On Tuesday, a No 10 spokesman said: “The Met Police have now explained that the FPN issued to the PM will be in relation to the following incident: ‘On June 19 2020 at the Cabinet Room, 10 Downing Street, between 1400 and 1500 you participated in a gathering of two or more people indoors’.”

The birthday party in question was reportedly a surprise event for Mr Johnson, organised by his wife and for which Mr Sunak was also in the room.

But following the announcement the Prime Minister and his Chancellor were being issued with a FPN, they both came under huge pressure from their fiercest political rivals to resign over the scandal.

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Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign.

“The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better.”

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon similarly wrote: “Boris Johnson must resign. He broke the law and repeatedly lied to parliament about it.

“The basic values of integrity and decency – essential to the proper working of any parliamentary democracy – demand that he go – and he should take his out of touch Chancellor with him.”

The SNP itself also tweeted: “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have repeatedly misled Parliament and taken the public for fools.

“If they have a shred of dignity they will resign.

But Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross leapt to the defence of the Prime Minister, stating while the public was “rightly furious”, and “the behaviour was unacceptable”, Mr Johnson shouldn’t quit due to the crisis in Ukraine.

He said: “In the middle of a war in Europe, when Vladimir Putin is committing war crimes and the UK is Ukraine’s biggest ally, as President Zelensky said at the weekend, it wouldn’t be right to remove the Prime Minister at this time.

“It would destabilise the UK Government when we need to be united in the face of Russian aggression and the murdering of innocent Ukrainians.”

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