UK police ask PM Johnson to fill in questionnaire
2022-02-12 23:14:53Source: CCTV News Client
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman confirmed on the 11th local time that Johnson received a questionnaire from the London Police Service. According to media reports, Johnson will face a fine if he fails to give a convincing reason for attending parties during the strict epidemic prevention period.
will answer as required
Johnson’s spokesman said in a statement on the 11th: “We confirm that the Prime Minister has received a questionnaire from the Metropolitan Police. He will answer as required.”
London police are investigating a series of possible breaches of epidemic prevention regulations in the Prime Minister’s Office and government departments over the past two years. London police confirmed on the 9th that at least 12 gatherings at 10 Downing Street between 2020 and 2021 will “send formal questionnaires to more than 50 people” by this weekend to find out their participation.
The London police said the questionnaires had “formal legal force” and had to be “answered truthfully” within seven days.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not mention whether the questionnaire involved one or more gatherings that Johnson attended. According to the British “Evening Standard” report, of the 12 parties under investigation by the police, Johnson is believed to have participated in at most six of them, including the reception in the garden of the Prime Minister’s Palace in May 2020 and the party organized by his wife Carrie in November of the same year.
Multiple gatherings sparked outrage from both parties
Johnson’s many gatherings during the strict epidemic prevention have caused outrage in the UK. In addition to pressure from the opposition Labour Party, some MPs from the ruling Conservative Party also asked him to resign as prime minister and party leader. A number of recent opinion polls show Johnson’s approval ratings have slipped to the lowest level since he became prime minister in 2019, with more than 60 percent of respondents wanting him to resign.
Former British Prime Minister John Major criticized Johnson for violating epidemic prevention regulations on the 10th, arguing that his actions are prompting the public to “contempt” politics. Former Prime Minister Theresa May had previously urged Johnson to clarify that he “hasn’t read the coronavirus rules? Or don’t understand what they mean? Or think 10 Downing Street doesn’t apply to them?”
Former Conservative Party leader Ian Duncan Smith said it would be “very difficult” for Johnson to stay in power if he was fined by the police, and the police penalty and the Cabinet Office investigation report would be a double whammy.
Hugh Gray, the permanent secretary of the British Cabinet Office, released the preliminary findings on January 31 of the Prime Minister’s Office’s repeated illegal holding of receptions during the new crown epidemic, and found that Johnson “misjudged and failed in leadership”. Gray will update and release a full version of the investigation report following London police conclude their investigation.