Last week it was announced that possibly 4.3 billion pounds (5.1 billion euros) in wrongly provided corona aid should be considered lost. Responding to questions from the opposition, Agnew said in the upper house on Monday that the responsible authorities had not exercised any oversight. He added that the Treasury Department “appears to have no knowledge or interest in the impact of fraud on our economy and society.”
“Given that I am the anti-fraud minister, it feels somewhat unfair to remain in that role if I am unable to fulfill it properly,” Agnew said. He stressed that his resignation is not an attack on the prime minister and apologized for “the inconvenience” he caused.
Corona policy
Prime Minister Johnson is under fire for his corona policy and his own conservative party is also increasingly being criticized. Johnson also faces allegations that he and his employees have repeatedly broken corona rules. On Monday, British channel ITV reported that the prime minister was holding a birthday party at his official residence at 10 Downing Street during the first lockdown in 2020, while that was not allowed under corona rules.
At the party, which, according to ITV, was attended by 30 people, Johnson was given cake and sung to him. According to Johnson’s spokesman, there was no party, but only a short meeting to congratulate the prime minister. Johnson would have been there only ten minutes.
The report is expected this week from top government official Sue Gray, who investigated possible violations of the corona rules by Johnson and his entourage. The investigation into illegal drinks during the lockdown at Johnson’s official residence will also include revelations about parties in his own apartment, The Sunday Times reported on Sunday.