Over in the U.K., Partygate continues. Having survived reports of a Christmas party at No. 10 at the height of the December 2020 lockdown, the prime minister has had to contend with photographic evidence that he broke his own rules again in May 2020 by attending a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden. This event happened while the rest of the country was under the strictest of lockdowns, with even the dying being separated from their loved ones.
Johnson told the House of Commons that this gathering was “technically within the rules” but that he was very sorry for how it appeared to the public. His apology fails to impress.
Moreover, the debacle creates a fresh opportunity for Johnson’s enemies within the Conservative Party. If enough Tory MPs send letters to the 1922 Committee, asking for Johnson’s removal, a leadership contest would be triggered. Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has already said he’d be willing to write one.
Might this be the beginning of Boris’s downfall?