British TV shows photos of Boris Johnson partying during lockdown | Abroad

The photos show the British Prime Minister toasting with his colleagues and making a toast, next to a table with wine bottles and glasses on it. In a statement, ITV News said the program released the footage “in the interest of the public”. Incidentally, according to the Reuters news agency, it is not possible to independently verify whether the photos were indeed taken on that day.

According to the program, the images cast doubt on Johnson’s previous explanation of ‘party gate’. The prime minister previously told the British Parliament that he was not aware that the corona measures were not always observed during meetings.

The new photos now seem to prove otherwise. Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labor party, therefore accused Johnson of lying. “Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that he knew nothing about the violations, but there is no doubt now, he lied,” Rayner said. “Johnson made the rules and then broke them.”

The police in London have handed out a total of 126 fines to British government employees as a result of government parties and drinks at times when strict corona measures were in force in England. The fines relate to a total of eight meetings between May 2020 and April 2021. According to a spokesperson for 10 Downing Street, one fine was also handed out following the party on November 13, 2020, the BBC reports. That fine would not have been for Prime Minister Johnson. Johnson was only fined for a birthday party in 2020. He himself said the party lasted no more than 10 minutes. He did apologize for his “mistake”, but refused to resign.

In response to all the commotion from Johnson, top official Sue Gray was asked to investigate ‘party gate’. Government sources say the full report on the matter may be published this week. “After that, the prime minister will address parliament at length,” a Johnson spokesman told the BBC.