"Friday aperitifs" in Downing Street: the drop too much for Boris Johnson?
Several British parliamentarians are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign.
AP - Kirsty Wigglesworth
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
The British newspaper
The Mirror
claims this Saturday that aperitifs were organized every Friday in Downing Street during confinement.
These revelations lengthen the list of accusations against Prime Minister Boris Johnson
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This is one of the images symbols of the rigor of confinements in the United Kingdom: Queen Elizabeth II, dressed all in black up to the mask, sitting alone in the chapel of Windsor Castle during the
funeral of Prince Philip
.
Until the early morning of April 17, 2021, the atmosphere was quite different at 10 Downing Street.
Aides to the Prime Minister - minus Boris Johnson himself - were celebrating the departure of two members of the team, according to
The Telegraph
.
The partygoers, about thirty, had joined in the gardens of the official residence, according to the daily close to the power.
A person had been sent to a supermarket to buy bottles of wine which they brought back to Downing Street in a suitcase, he said.
"
It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and 10 (Downing Street) has issued an apology to the Palace
," a spokesman for Boris Johnson said.
At the time, indoor gatherings were banned, with no more than six Britons allowed to meet outside.
Prime Minister aware
But according to
The Mirror
, this evening was not an isolated event. The British newspaper reports that Boris Johnson encouraged his team to "
let go of the pressure
" at the end of the week, during these "Friday aperitifs". A “
long-standing tradition
” which has continued despite the introduction of restrictions linked to Covid and prohibiting this type of meeting. The newspaper adds that the staff had invested in a fridge to keep their bottles of alcohol cool and that the Prime Minister was aware of these gatherings.
A Downing Street spokesperson referred to the findings of an investigation by a senior civil servant who will have to determine whether the Prime Minister and his aides broke the rules during the various events.
But these new revelations add to an already long list of parties organized in circles of power during periods of confinement.
They also highlight, according to witnesses quoted in the media, a real drinking culture in Downing Street.
They further sink the head of government who, Covid contact case, has not been seen in public since his
mea culpa
on Wednesday in Parliament
for his presence at one of these parties in May 2020. He said he then thought that he it was a business meeting.
Johnson strikes back
Anger is brewing even in the conservative ranks of the Prime Minister.
"
For me, Boris Johnson has lost the moral authority to lead the country
," MP Andrew Bridgen reacted on SkyNews on Saturday.
Another MP from the same side, Tobias Ellwood, said that if Boris Johnson could not lead by example he had to "
stand down
".
Other Tory parliamentarians testified to receiving a flood of mail from disgruntled voters.
At least five Tory MPs have publicly stated that they had sent letters to the "1922 committee" asking for a vote of no confidence.
To dislodge Boris Johnson, they would have to be at least 54 Tory deputies.
Boris Johnson has launched the counterattack designed to hold on to power.
Newspapers have reported that his backers have been called upon to tout his achievements, including delivering Brexit, and that some of his aides will be asked to leave.
(
With
AFP)
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