ECHO readers overwhelmingly believe Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak should resign after the pair were fined for attending parties when the country was in covid lockdown.
In a survey on the ECHO, 82% of readers said the pair should resign over their roles in the Partygate scandal. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak received fines from the Met Police on April 12 for lockdown breaches.
Both politicians went to a spontaneous birthday gathering for the Prime Minister at the Cabinet Office in June 2020. Boris Johnson said he paid the £50 fixed penalty relating to the gathering in the Cabinet Room and offered a "full apology".
READ MORE: Boris Johnson pays lockdown party fine and offers 'full apology'
In a public apology on the BBC outside the Prime Ministers' countryside Chequers estate Mr Johnson said in the "spirit of openness and humility" he was going to be completely clear about what happened. Mr Johnson said he went into the Cabinet Office for 10 minutes but it "did not occur to me this might have been a breach of the rules".
Despite accepting the police's findings Mr Johnson said he wasn't going to resign and in fact felt an "even greater sense of obligation to deliver on the priorities of the British people". He added: "I will take forward that task with due humility, but with maximum determination to fulfil my duty and do what is best for the country I serve."
Mr Johnson is the first serving PM to have broken the law and committed a criminal offence in office. His wife Carrie Johnson has also been fined over the Partygate scandal relating to a gathering on the afternoon of June 19, 2020.
Following the news, the ECHO asked readers for their thoughts on the situation, with the majority of people saying it was time for the conservative politicians to go.
One reader said: "They have broken the laws which they brought in and have continually lied to the British public and to Parliament stating they had broken no laws. They have treated the British public with contempt taking them for fools and have no respect for those who lost love ones to covid during the lockdown. If Tory MPs back them then they have no respect for their constituents."
Another reader agreed: "They created laws to stop us meeting other people and to restrict our day to day lives - people died before ever getting the chance to see each other again because of lockdown. They knew exactly what they were doing and they did it anyway and then when their actions were uncovered they repeatedly lied, covered it up and tried to make excuses. How can we trust a government that willingly lies to us and doesn't even admit to it?"
A third reader said: "They have made a mockery of law and justice. If they are unable to tell the difference between right and wrong, particularly regarding laws they have set, they are not capable of any form of management let alone the leadership of this country."
A fourth called for the resignation by saying: "They made the laws. They broke the laws. They lied to Parliament and the public. They are not fit to be either government ministers or MPs. This government is proven to be corrupt. They must resign immediately - we deserve better."
But some readers thought Mr Johnson shouldn't resign noting his recent trip to Ukraine as a sign of the Prime Minister's good work. One said: "They were in a working bubble and this is a smear campaign. Boris has shown great leadership in dealing with the Ukraine situation and needs to get on with what he was elected to do."
But the reader said Mr Sunak should resign - not over the Partygate scandal but because of the Chancellor's recent tax disputes. The reader added: "Rishi should resign not because of Partygate but because he's shown his contempt for the working class and doesn't understand how poor we are and the struggles we are facing just to survive."
Do you think Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak should resign for their roles in Partygate? There's still time to have your say here.
