4 2GM Wednesday April 13 2022 | the times
News
B
oris Johnson’s plan to
“tough out” a fine imposed
for breaking his own
lockdown rules has made it
through the first day (Chris
Smyth and Oliver Wright write).
The war in Ukraine and the
parliamentary recess meant that
critics of the prime minister were
conspicuous by their silence. By last
night, as the supportive statements
from the cabinet started to flood in,
it was clear that the prime minister
would remain in No 10 this morning.
Making it through the day is one
thing. Making it through the weeks
ahead will be far tougher.
The first problem is in being the
only sitting prime minister in
history to have been found to have
broken the law. A rule he created
and repeatedly urged the public to
abide by. While many ConservativePM’s line on parties
December 1, 2021
After the first report of a Christmas
party in Downing Street 2020, Boris
Johnson said in the Commons that:
“All guidance was followed
completely in No 10.”December 7
Johnson said: “I can tell you that the
guidelines were followed at all
times. I have satisfied myself that
the guidelines were followed.”December 8
After footage emerged of Allegra
Stratton, his press secretary, joking
about a party, Johnson told MPs: “I
have been repeatedly assured that
the rules were not broken. I repeat
that I have been repeatedly assured
since these allegations emerged
that there was no party and that no
Covid rules were broken.”December 13
After it emerged that Johnson had
helped to host a virtual quiz, also at
Christmas 2020, the prime minister
said: “I can tell you, once again, that
I certainly broke no rules.”January 12, 2022
After it emerged that Johnson
attended a garden party on May 20,
2020, he told MPs: “I believed
implicitly that this was a work event,
but with hindsight, I should have
sent everyone back inside.”January 18
As Conservative anger intensified
after revelations that Downing
Street aides partied the night before
the Queen sat alone at the Duke of
Edinburgh’s funeral, Johnson said: “I
deeply and bitterly regret that that
happened. I can only renew my
apologies both to Her Majesty and
to the country for misjudgments
that were made, and for which I take
full responsibility.”January 31
After Sue Gray published her interim
findings Johnson said in the
Commons: “I want to say sorry.
Sorry for the things we simply did
not get right and sorry for the way
that this matter has been handled. It
is no use saying that this or that was
within the rules. It is no use saying
that people were working hard.”Investigations
Analysis
Conservative MPs backed away from
an immediate leadership challenge as
cabinet ministers rallied round Boris
Johnson.
Critics who have called for Johnson
to resign said yesterday that the war in
Ukraine made this the wrong time to
change prime minister, but insisted a
reckoning would have to come.
After hours of silence, by last night
most of the cabinet had publicly backed
Johnson. Rishi Sunak said in a statement
just before 8pm: “Like the prime minis-
ter, I am focusing on delivering for the
British people at this challenging time.”
Nadine Dorries, one of Johnson’s
most loyal backers, led a belated chorus
of ministerial support that included Liz
Truss, now the frontrunner to succeed
the prime minister. The foreign secre-
tary said Johnson had “my 100 per cent
backing”, adding: “The prime minister
has apologised and taken responsibility
for what happened in Downing Street.
He and the chancellor are delivering for
Britain on many fronts, including on the
international security crisis we face.”
The cabinet ministers Michael Gove,
Sajid Javid and Dominic Raab also
offered “full support” to Johnson.
Other loyal MPs tried to compare the
fines to a “parking ticket” and high-
lighted Labour politicians who had
been fined for speeding, in what ap-
peared a prepared Tory attack.
Government sources suggested min-
isters were nervous about what other
parties the prime minister would be
fined for, and some could yet withdraw
their support.
“I don’t see this as the moment — this
was just ten minutes with colleagues in
the middle of the afternoon,” one said.
“We know there were others late at
night, and the flat one is of particular
Some Tories have likened fines for the
lockdown parties to parking tickets
Gatherings under the spotlight
The Metropolitan Police is
investigating a total of 12
parties that took place in
Downing Street and Whitehall.
The prime minister attended
or has been linked to at least
six of them. The 12 are:May 20, 2020
Martin Reynolds emails 100
Downing Street staff inviting
them to “socially distanced
drinks in the No 10 garden”.
Reynolds, who is Boris
Johnson’s private secretary,
tells staff: “Bring your own
booze!” Johnson attended the
drinks, but has argued no one
informed him it was a party.June, 18 2020
A leaving drinks is held in
Downing Street for Hannah
Young, a senior aide who is
now deputy consul general inNew York. Helen MacNamara,
the government’s former head
of ethics, brings a karaoke
machine to the party.June 19, 2020
A surprise birthday
party is organised
by Carrie Johnson,
right, for the
prime minister in
the cabinet room
attended by 30
people. Lulu Lytle,
the luxury interior
designer who
renovated Johnson’s
flat, was there and
the prime minister
was given a birthday
cake. Rishi Sunak also
dropped in, but said
he had been
expecting to attend
a meeting.November 13, 2020
Johnson allegedly makes a
leaving speech for Lee Cain,
the former director of
communications, at a
gathering of staff.
Another separate party
was allegedly hosted
that day in the
Downing Street flat
where the
Johnsons live.
Revellers
reportedly sang
Abba songs.
No 10 has strongly
denied the
reports.December 17,
2020
Three parties
take place.
Simon Case, the
cabinet secretary,holds a quiz for members of
his office that is described in
his diary as a Christmas party.
The Cabinet Office hosts a
leaving party for Kate
Josephs, head of the
government unit responsible
for implementing Covid
restrictions. Finally, Johnson
gives a speech at a party in
Downing Street to mark the
departure of Captain Steve
Higham, an official who was
one of Johnson’s private
secretaries.December 18, 2020
A Christmas party is held in
the Downing Street press
office for 40 people. There is a
secret Santa and prize-giving.
The party reportedly
continued late into the night.
A film is later leaked showing
Allegra Stratton, Johnson’sformer press secretary, joking
that the event was not socially
distanced.January 14, 2021
Downing Street hosts another
leaving party to mark the
departures of two No 10
private secretaries. Attendees
— one of whom is now a
senior civil servant in the
Department for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport —
drink prosecco. The PM is
alleged to have attended.April 16, 2021
Two leaving parties are held in
Downing Street on the eve of
the Duke of Edinburgh’s
funeral to mark the
departures of James Slack,
Johnson’s former director of
communications, and one of
the PM’s photographers.News Politics
Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson may prefer to focus on the heavy lifting of theOpponents decide timing is not
interest. Ultimately we’re asking our-
selves: what else is coming?”
Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links,
the former Scottish Tory leader, and
the former cabinet minister Rory Stew-
art were among the few prominent
Conservatives publicly calling for the
prime minister to quit. Davidson said:
“The PM introduced liberty-
curtailing rules for public health rea-
sons. This caused huge hardship for
those separated from ill or dying loved
ones. He then broke the rules he im-
posed on the country and lost the moral
authority to lead. He should go.”
Stewart said: “The fine proves he has
repeatedly lied to parliament about his
actions during Covid. Democracy re-
quires, for voting, for accountability,
leaders who tell the truth. He must go.”
Sir Roger Gale, one of the first Tory
MPs to put in a letter of no confidence
in Johnson, said: “I’m not prepared to
seek to destabilise the government with
a leadership election when we’re in the
middle of an international crisis.”
Gale said that while he thought John-
son had “effectively misled the House
of Commons” and “is clearly going to
have to be held to account”, now was
not the time to “rock the boat” in Nato.
“I am not prepared to give Vladimir
Putin the comfort of thinking that we
are about to unseat the prime minister
of the United Kingdom and destabilise
the coalition,” he said.
“Any reaction is going to have to wait
until we have dealt with the main crisis,
which is Ukraine and the Donbas.”
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Jus-
tice shared a letter they sent to Johnson
after the news of his fine emerged. They
wrote that they had obeyed the rules
Johnson’s government created and that
this meant they could not attend their
loved ones’ funerals or hold their hands
in hospitals or care homes as they died.
They continued: “You on the other
hand did not. You broke those laws in-
tended to keep us safe. You trampled on
the sacrifices we and all the British
public made. You have paid a fine. Our
loved ones paid with their lives.”
They signed off: “For the sake of the
187,929 who have been lost to Covid, the
over 1,000 still dying each week from
this horrible virus, for the hundreds of
thousands of us who lost loved ones
and each and every person who did the
right thing, go and go now.”
Jackie Green, from the group, said
that Johnson was “completely untrust-
worthy and devoid of any integrity”.
PM must go, Daniel Finkelstein, page 29
Lockdown fines, letters, page 32
Trust is broken, leading article, page 33Chris Smyth Whitehall Editor
Henry Zeffman Associate Political Editor
Oliver Wright Policy Editor