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LONDON (Reuters) – Senior British minister Michael Gove on Sunday described as “appalling” a video showing a party at the headquarters of the ruling Conservative Party during the 2020 lockdown, as rallies that breach Covid laws continue under the government’s weight.
The Mirror published the video just days after a parliamentary committee ruled that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had deliberately misled MPs about which parties were breaking the rules in his office.
The 45-second clip shows revelers in December 2020 when the British public in London were banned from socializing indoors to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
People can be seen dancing and drinking in the video. Two of the rally attendees, who were previously investigated by police when a still of them surfaced, were honored by Johnson on his resignation list earlier this month.
“It’s appalling,” Housing Minister Gove told Sky News. “I think it’s completely broken. I just want to really apologize to everyone.”
The case of breaking the rules during Covid lockdowns He helped unseat Johnson, who left office last year, and still lags behind the Conservatives and the incumbent prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Johnson resigned as an MP on June 9, days before the Privileges Committee — the main disciplinary body for lawmakers — issuing its damning verdict on him, reopening divisions in the party and reigniting public anger.
Polls show the Conservatives, in power since 2010, trailing the opposition Labor Party by around 20% percentage points. The next election must take place by late 2024.
Vote for Johnson
On Monday, lawmakers will vote on whether to approve the Privileges Committee’s report. Although Johnson has resigned as a largely nominal lawmaker now, his supporters said those who supported his findings could face a backlash from Tory members, and could face deselection as candidates in parliament.
Gove said he would abstain, saying parts of the report were “excellent” but disagreeing with his conclusion that Johnson should have been removed from Parliament for 90 days had he remained an MP. He said he did not know what Sunak would do with himself.
Johnson’s ongoing saga and Covid “partygate” headlines will do little for Sunak’s attempts to focus on boosting Britain’s ailing economy, as homeowners face huge increases in mortgage payments as the Bank of England raises interest rates in a bid to curb soaring inflation.
When asked if the government will intervene to help the borrowers, he said that it has no immediate plans to intervene but is keeping the matter under review.
“The worst thing to do is spend the money on short-term relief, which then means our public finances have been in a weaker position, interest rates have been higher for longer and inflation has been high for longer,” Goff said.
The Mirror published the video just days after a parliamentary committee ruled that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had deliberately misled MPs about which parties were breaking the rules in his office.
The 45-second clip shows revelers in December 2020 when the British public in London were banned from socializing indoors to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
People can be seen dancing and drinking in the video. Two of the rally attendees, who were previously investigated by police when a still of them surfaced, were honored by Johnson on his resignation list earlier this month.
“It’s appalling,” Housing Minister Gove told Sky News. “I think it’s completely broken. I just want to really apologize to everyone.”
The case of breaking the rules during Covid lockdowns He helped unseat Johnson, who left office last year, and still lags behind the Conservatives and the incumbent prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Johnson resigned as an MP on June 9, days before the Privileges Committee — the main disciplinary body for lawmakers — issuing its damning verdict on him, reopening divisions in the party and reigniting public anger.
Polls show the Conservatives, in power since 2010, trailing the opposition Labor Party by around 20% percentage points. The next election must take place by late 2024.
Vote for Johnson
On Monday, lawmakers will vote on whether to approve the Privileges Committee’s report. Although Johnson has resigned as a largely nominal lawmaker now, his supporters said those who supported his findings could face a backlash from Tory members, and could face deselection as candidates in parliament.
Gove said he would abstain, saying parts of the report were “excellent” but disagreeing with his conclusion that Johnson should have been removed from Parliament for 90 days had he remained an MP. He said he did not know what Sunak would do with himself.
Johnson’s ongoing saga and Covid “partygate” headlines will do little for Sunak’s attempts to focus on boosting Britain’s ailing economy, as homeowners face huge increases in mortgage payments as the Bank of England raises interest rates in a bid to curb soaring inflation.
When asked if the government will intervene to help the borrowers, he said that it has no immediate plans to intervene but is keeping the matter under review.
“The worst thing to do is spend the money on short-term relief, which then means our public finances have been in a weaker position, interest rates have been higher for longer and inflation has been high for longer,” Goff said.
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