He began by offering a “wholehearted apology” and added it “did not occur to me then or subsequently” that the gathering “could amount to a breach of the rules.” He was addressing lawmakers for the first time since being fined by police on April 13 for attending a birthday party thrown for him in Downing Street in June 2020, when large indoor gatherings were banned.

Other parties held at No. 10 Downing street are currently being investigated. The series of parties were dubbed “Partygate,” which became the rallying call for the PM to resign.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said “The public has made up their mind; they don’t believe a word the prime minister says. They know what he is.”

Conservative MP Mark Harper joined calls for Johnson to resign. “I regret to say that we have a Prime Minister who broke the laws that he told the country they had to follow, hasn’t been straightforward about it,” said Harper, the former whip. “I’m very sorry to have to say this, but I no longer think he is worthy of the great office that he holds.”

An internal inquest, separate from the ongoing police investigation, has uncovered multiple parties, a culture of excessive drinking, and a “failure of leadership” in Johnson’s government while the rest of the country was living under strict rules on social mixing.

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The transport secretary said: “When the PM spoke in Parliament he didn’t knowingly appreciate that stepping into the room there was going to be something which breached the rules.”

“It was wrong, he’s apologized, he’s accepted the fixed penalty notice and we move on.”

Last year, Boris said he was not aware that this gathering violates the set COVID rules at that time. Some senior aides contradict this statement by releasing emails that show he was warned it was a violation. At the height of the scandal, 4 senior aides quit their posts.

Party gate is a series of parties that was held at No. 10 Downing street at that time the UK was on a lockdown. The UK government released guidelines detailing that indoor gathering of more than 2 people are not allowed. Many followed the rules including the Royal Family who at that time, unfortunately, held a funeral for Prince Philip. It was noted by many media publications that Queen Elizabeth sat alone during the funeral to follow the rules. Also, the people allowed to attend were very limited and all COVID measures like social distancing and wearing masks were implemented.

At the same time as the funeral was taking place, Johnson and a number of staff members held a party at the No. 10 house. The gatherings allegedly involved drinking and no measures were in place.

Johnsons was also criticized for holding a party on his birthday while many people in the Uk could not even hold a funeral for their loved ones. Many died alone while he was partying with his staff.

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This became a hot topic for quite some time as parties held in Downing Street were against the COVID restrictions. Civil Servant Sue Gray investigated the matter but the report was not fully publicized until the police concluded their independent investigation.

This is the first time in Britain’s history that a PM was fined while he is in office.

Mr. Johnson continuously said that all measures were followed and that no rules were knowingly broken. Evidence that surfaced at that time suggests otherwise as senior aides advised him of the regulations.

Many parties were reported however one struck the most. On the eve of Prince Phillip’s funeral, Queen Elizabeth sat alone in the chapel as she paid her respects to her husband. The Royal Family followed the social distancing rules for gathering as well as the limit on the attendees. In the meantime, No. 10 Downing Street held a party at the same time as the funeral where there were no social distancing measures, alcohol was involved, and many attended the gathering.

Many citizens also expressed their frustration as at the height of the pandemic, they could not hold proper funerals for their loved ones, and yet the PM and his staff were out and about partying. Many were disappointed with his behavior saying it was “disrespectful”.

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Boris Johnson has named five banks whose assets will be frozen. He also announced three Russian billionaires who had been given a UK travel ban. Johnson said that this is just the “first barrage” of sanctions and could get worse if Russia continues to invade.

US and EU have also imposed a sanction of their own. This is part of a coordinated response by the West to the growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

The UK is also planning to sanction members of the Russian Parliament who voted to recognize the independence of eastern Ukraine. The sanctions will be most likely the same as those of the Russian billionaires.

In the upcoming weeks, they will be preventing any business of financing of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This similarly happened when Russia reclaimed Crimea. They said that they are willing to slap additional “unprecedented” measures and are prepared for more.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said that President Putin is “establishing the pretext for a full-scale offensive.” His statements were based on satellite reports of Russian troops massing on different areas near the border.

The EU has announced plans to target the Russian parliament as well as banks that are financing the Russian military. Germany has also frozen the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project with Russia.

MPs also called for additional sanctions on Russia such as excluding them from the global Swift payment platform. They also wanted a ban on trading Russian sovereign debt. A proposal also includes the prevention of Russia spreading any false propaganda to the world. They suggest that if the full sanctions are not done now, then the Russian President might think invasion outweighs these sanctions.

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The Labour leader has previously described the comment as “a ridiculous slur, peddled by right-wing trolls”. Some MP’s urged Boris Johnson to withdraw his claims against Labor leader Sir Kier. This was also the reason senior aid Ms. Mirza resigned from her position. The comment was simply unfounded and had no proof.

Protesters gathered at the Parliament shouting “traitor” and “Jimmy Savile”. Shortly after five in the afternoon, Sir Kier was escorted by police to his home.

“All forms of harassment of our elected representatives are completely unacceptable,” Mr. Johnson tweeted.

Boris Johnson’s unfounded claims and his refusal to apologize only added fuel to the fire. Now more MPs will be sending their private letters to trigger a vote.

Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “This is what happens when fake news is amplified and given credibility by people who should know better.”

Sir David Lidington told BBC radio “No politician in the United Kingdom or any other democracy should expect to be treated in that way”. He also called for the PM to “retract and apologize”.

MP Julian Smith tweeted: “What happened to Keir Starmer tonight outside Parliament is appalling. It is really important for our democracy & for his security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said, “All Members of Parliament must be able to go about their lives without fear of threats or intimidation”.

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MET Police announced their investigations and are due to ask the PM questions regarding their inquiry on the parties. More questions arise from the newest allegation that Boris Johnson held his birthday party at his residence during the lockdown. Among the lockdown measures was the limitation of gatherings to 2 people.

Many openly asks the PM to resign and voiced their lack of confidence in his leadership. The majority is urging to wait for the reports. Leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “The government will behave entirely properly in terms of any statement, and the usual courtesies are extended to the opposition.”

Aside from his birthday, Boris Johnson is also alleged to have had drinking parties during the first lockdown. He is also alleged to have held parties during the funeral of Prince Philip. Dominic Cummings explicitly said he warned the PM not to hold the parties. On top of all this, allegations of blackmailing and bullying were pressed against the PM.

This indeed becomes a challenging start for the PM’s year in office.

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