British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected in Parliament on Tuesday April 19 to explain himself after the fine imposed on him for violating anti-Covid restrictions, while remaining under threat of other sanctions.

Due to the Easter parliamentary truce, the Tory leader has yet to face MPs since he was fined - £50 (€60) according to the press - a week ago for a surprise birthday on the occasion of his 56th birthday, June 19, 2020. An event of "less than 10 minutes" according to him, which also earned his Minister of Finance, Rishi Sunak, and his wife Carrie, to be sanctioned .

After the announcement of this sanction, Boris Johnson again apologized and again ruled out resigning.

A time on an ejection seat, "BoJo" seems to have actually benefited from the war in Ukraine and his role on the front line of Western sanctions against Russia, with many members of his own camp deeming it inappropriate to try to oust him from Downing Street in such a context.

Nevertheless, discontent remains tenacious, including in the ranks of the majority, as evidenced by the resignation of the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, David Wolfson, who invoked "the extent, context and nature" of the offenses committed under what is now called "Partygate".

But this soap opera, which infuriates Britons tested by the sacrifices and restrictions they have had to endure in the face of the pandemic, seems far from over.

"Liar"

London police, who have already imposed more than 50 fines, are continuing their investigations.

And once the police investigation is complete, Boris Johnson will also have to deal with the conclusions of senior civil servant Sue Gray, who has already crippled in a pre-report of "errors of leadership and judgment".

He will also have to face the verdict of the polls in local elections on May 5, a ballot which will have test value.

According to the press, the conservative leader risks new fines for his presence at at least five other festive events presented as more embarrassing for him.

After new details emerged in The Sunday Times, to which a source described a Boris Johnson serving drinks, toasting and making a speech for the communications chief's departure on November 13, 2020, Downing Street had to deny the leading role attributed to the head of government in the turn of events that day.

"If the latest information is true, it would mean not only that the Prime Minister was present at parties, but that he was the instigator of at least one of them", lambasted the deputy chief of the Labor opposition, Angela Rayner.

"He deliberately deceived the British people all along the line", she accused, "he devalued his office, the British people deserve better".

According to the foretaste of his intervention distilled in the media, Boris Johnson intends to highlight his role in supporting kyiv or his visit to India at the end of the week.

He is also not immune to having to face a vote to seize a special committee, which would be responsible for determining whether or not he knowingly misled Parliament – ​​synonymous with resignation, according to the ministerial code of conduct – in his various explanations about Partygate, after having assured time and time again that all the rules had been respected.

According to a study published on Monday, 72% of respondents have a negative assessment of the Prime Minister, the term recurring most often being that of "liar".

According to pollster James Johnson, who carried out the study, Partygate wins over Ukraine in opinion.

"The furor hasn't receded," he tweeted, "lots of the negative comments are from people who previously liked him but have changed their minds."

With AFP

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