Partygate: Pressure on UK PM to quit

London, January 15

The UK Opposition is leading the charge to pile pressure on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday as a picture of a boozy culture at the heart of Downing Street emerges, with new reports of so-called “wine-time Fridays” by staff during the Covid lockdown.

Opposition Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer used a major speech to say the so-called “partygate” scandal shows that Johnson is guilty of “deceit and deception” and unable to lead the country.

Starmer’s latest salvo comes as a poll for the ‘The Times’ found that seven out of 10 British voters think Johnson has not been honest about his account of attending a lockdown breaking party in Downing Street.

The YouGov survey found that 70 per cent of voters, including over half of those who voted for Conservative in the 2019 election, did not believe Johnson’s account to the Commons. Eight out of 10 said they did not think the gathering, as described by the Prime Minister in Parliament earlier this week as a work event, was acceptable under lockdown rules.

“We are witnessing the broken spectacle of a prime minister mired in deceit and deception, unable to lead,” Starmer said in an address to the Fabian Society conference.

Meanwhile, a daily claims Johnson encouraged his aides to “let off steam” despite being banned from socialising in big groups under his own lockdown rules at the peak of the pandemic. It is even claimed that the regular events were so popular that staff invested in a GBP 142 drinks fridge to keep their bottles of white wine, prosecco, and beer cool for so-called “wine-time Fridays”.

It is alleged Downing Street aides took turns on Fridays to visit a local supermarket with a wheelie suitcase to fill up the 34-bottle fridge. It was this suitcase that was used on the night before Prince Philip’s funeral on April 16 last year, the latest “partygate” allegation that led to Downing Street apologising to Queen Elizabeth II. — PTI

Marines okay religious exemptions for vax

Washington: The US Marine Corps has approved its first two Covid vaccine exemptions based on religious reasons, something no other military service has done so far. The two exemptions are the first to be approved by the Corps in 10 years. So far, the Marine Corps has received 3,350 requests for religious exemptions to the mandatory vaccine. AP

‘Operation Save Big Dog’

• With the Opposition raising the pitch of its attacks on the UK PM, Johnson is said to have gone into hiding this weekend amid a near-mutiny from many of his own members of Parliament and activists
• A daily says there are reports that he is plotting a fightback to save his premiership, which he is calling “Operation Save Big Dog”