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Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak fined over Downing Street lockdown parties
IndyTV
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak are being urged to resign following the news that both will face fines over Downing Street lockdown parties.
Before today, Downing Street continued to refuse to accept the law had been broken, despite the fixed penalty notices.
Now, 30 more FPNs are being issued in relation to breaches of Covid-19 laws at Downing Street and Whitehall parties. It brings the total to more than 50, the Metropolitan Police have said.
Sunak and Johnson are two of the people who have received FPNs, and now people on social media are calling on Johnson to resign.
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Hundreds of Twitter users posted messages criticising the pair and calling on them to step down. The hashtag #BorisOut quickly appeared multiple times per minute in the UK in the wake of the news.
Keir Starmer was one of those calling for their resignations, writing: “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public.
“They must both resign. The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better.”
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran also wrote on the site: “Boris Johnson broke the law. That is why he is being fined. This is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom we are taking about here. He must surely now resign or be removed.”
The announcement this morning regarding the 30 news FPNs sparked fresh calls for the prime minister to quit, with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey saying: “If Boris Johnson won’t resign, Conservative MPs must show him the door.”
The pair are facing new calls to resignGetty Images
In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed, this includes continuing to assess significant amounts of investigative material from which further referrals may be made to ACRO (Criminal Records Office).”
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the fines were evidence of “widespread criminality” inside Downing Street.
“Crime is soaring, victims are being let down and police officers are disappearing from our streets – now we see widespread criminality at the heart of Downing Street,” she said. “This is just the latest example of a distracted out-of-touch government, guilty of breaking the law, never mind enforcing it.”
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