British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears in a photo at an event washed down with cheese and wine, without social detachment, in the garden of the seat of the government of the United Kingdom, suggesting a possible violation of the confinement imposed by his management to stop the advance of Covid.
The image, taken by The Guardian newspaper, contradicts earlier claims that there would have been no Downing Street party on May 15, 2020. According to the version of Boris’s spokesman, the prime minister’s aides were working in the garden during the afternoon and evening of that day.
Last Thursday (16), The Guardian and The Independent newspapers published a report according to which sources said that a group of about 20 government officials had a party that day.
At the time, there was an orientation for meetings between people from different homes to be limited to two individuals in an open place and to maintain a distance of 2 meters between the participants.
The deputy leader of the opposition Labor Party told the Guardian the photo was “a slap in the face for the British population”. “The prime minister consistently shows us that he has no appreciation for the rules he imposes on others. Alleged partying and drinking late into the night [na residência oficial], while the rest of us were until recently limited to one walk a day.”
The photo adds to a recent series of scandals, which began with the revelation of a party that was allegedly held in Downing Street during the 2020 Christmas season, when face-to-face celebrations were banned due to restrictions. The episode led to the resignation of one of Boris’s advisors.
Also weighing on Boris is an episode in which he was held responsible — and his party fined — for a renovation carried out in the official residence with unreported funds from a private donation.
There are also complaints against the prime minister for trying to change parliamentary norms to help political allies, for his luxurious vacations abroad, for the dubious links with some companies and for accusations of patronage in the appointment of seats in the House of Lords (equivalent to the Senate).
Furthermore, on Friday, Boris’ Conservative Party lost the election in North Shropshire for a seat in Parliament. While the result does not threaten the conservative majority, the legend has dominated the region for nearly 200 years and has never been defeated since it was created in its current form in 1983.
Boris is also facing a rebellion within his party. This week, in the vote on the so-called Plan B, with a new set of restrictions to curb the advance of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, supporters of the prime minister described the measures as attacks on individual freedoms and dozens went against the measures. In the end, the measure passed thanks to opposition support.
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