Boris Johnson looked set to avoid an initial fallout from becoming the first prime minister to be hit with criminal sanctions while in office over a birthday bash held for him in Downing Street against Covid rules. The Prime Minister, his wife and the Chancellor all apologised on Tuesday and confirmed they had paid fines imposed by the Metropolitan Police over a party held on June 19, 2020, to mark Mr Johnson’s 56th birthday.
Mr Johnson said it “did not occur” to him that the gathering might be breaching Covid rules, while Rishi Sunak said he understood that “for figures in public office, the rules must be applied stringently in order to maintain public confidence”. But although both politicians said they now accepted the rules had been broken, neither appeared to be considering their positions, as they said they wanted to get on with the job.
Cabinet ministers tweeted in support of Mr Johnson, praising his leadership during Covid and Brexit and also pointing to the war in Ukraine. Even the Prime Minister’s critics appeared to accept that now was not the right time for a leadership contest.
