British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Johnson’s wife Carrie will be fined for breaking the rules during the covid-epidemic lockdown.
The authorities have confirmed that the three have received a notification from the Metropolitan Police informing them that they would receive the fines.
A government spokesman said they had not been informed to which event the fine was linked .
However, the three were reportedly at the same meeting, one held in June 2020 to celebrate the prime minister’s birthday.
Police have investigated 12 gatherings that took place in Downing Street and Whitehall , both government locations, during the lockdowns , and the breaches of laws imposed in the UK due to the pandemic.
So far more than 50 fines have been issued.
Police said they would not name all those who received the tickets, but the government promised to reveal whether Johnson and Sunak were among them.
“Unable to Rule”
Opposition Leader Labor Keir Starmer said Johnson and Sunak should step down .
Starmer said this shows that the Conservatives are “totally incapable of governing.”
He added: “Britain deserves better. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. Both must resign.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called for Parliament, currently in its Easter recess, to be called in to vote no confidence in the prime minister . “This is a government in crisis that neglects a country in crisis,” he said.
For its part, the group “Covid19 Families in mourning for Justice” said that “there was simply no way that the prime minister and the economy minister could continue”.
At the time the events under investigation took place, the UK was in varying degrees of lockdown and the rules included gatherings of more than two people. The country was experiencing a critical situation with more than 400 deaths daily.
accusations
Reports of parties taking place in Downing Street between 2020 and 2021, in full lockdown, appeared in December last year.
Initially, Johnson insisted that “guidelines were followed at all times.”
But as more and more meetings were revealed, he faced more questions about his involvement.
The prime minister later apologized for attending a Downing Street garden party with drinks, but told Parliament he believed it was a work event.
Johnson ordered an investigation into the allegations of rule breaking, led by official Sue Gray.
The police initially said they would not investigate but , after seeing Sue Gray’s report, changed their mind.
The official published an interim report in which she stated that there were “leadership failures” in the government .
“At times it seems that what was happening across the country was not given much thought when considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health, and how they might appear to the public,” the document stated.
Still, the full report has yet to see public light. It will be released once the police have finished their investigations.
pay or dispute
Those previously fined include former Government Ethics Chief Helen MacNamara, who received a fine notice for attending a Cabinet Office farewell party in June 2020.
MacNamara, who is now an executive with Britain’s football league, the Premier League, said she apologized for “the error of judgment that I have shown”.
Several sources told the BBC that some fines had been levied on people who attended a farewell party in Downing Street on April 16, 2021, the eve of the funeral of Prince Philip , the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
Those who receive a fine notification can pay within 28 days or challenge the police decision. If they contest it, the police review the case and then withdraw the sanction or take the matter to court.