Boris Johnson speaks out on Partygate in Parliament

The British Prime Minister is said to have attended several illegal parties in lockdown. The opposition is calling for his resignation, Johnson now wants to comment.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to declare himself in Parliament over his participation in several illegal parties during the nationwide lockdown. The Tory politician has been under pressure for a long time because of the so-called Partygate affair. Last week, Johnson was even fined for attending one of the parties. According to media reports, more could follow. This makes him the first incumbent prime minister to break the law.

While Johnson is expected to apologize for breaking the law, he will continue to claim that he was unaware of the offense at the time. He will reportedly argue that issues like the Ukraine war or the cost of living crisis are more important at the moment. It is also expected that he will downplay the new plans for asylum policy – including sending asylum seekers to Rwanda in Africa.

However, the opposition is demanding his resignation. The politician had repeatedly claimed that he had not noticed any breaches of the rules and expressly ruled them out. Later it turned out that he was present at several meetings himself. His wife and Finance Minister Rishi Sunak also received penal orders.

No-confidence vote is considered unlikely

Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News that Johnson accepts the penalty order. “But that doesn’t mean that anything he said to Parliament was wrong at the time,” Lewis said, comparing the penalty order to a speeding fine.

The legal expert of the opposition Labor party, Emily Thornberry, called on Johnson’s party colleagues to make a vote on the future of the prime minister possible. A vote of no confidence in his own party is currently considered unlikely. According to media reports, however, the deputies could commission a parliamentary committee to examine whether Johnson lied to parliament.

However, it is also possible that the Speaker of the House of Commons will allow a vote on whether Johnson will be referred to a committee. This could decide whether he has broken the so-called Ministerial Code – a kind of code of conduct for members of the government.