UK's Johnson refuses to step down after report on Downing Street COVID-19 lockdown parties
Jan 31, 2022
London [UK], January 31 (ANI/ Sputnik): UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday refused calls to resign after an investigation into a string of parties held at his official residence in Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdown found there were serious "failures of leadership and judgment."
"I am going to get on with the job," Johnson told Parliament following the release of the report on the inquiry conducted by senior civil servant Sue Gray.
The long-awaited report, which was published as an update because the London Metropolitan Police had asked the senior civil servant conducting the probe to make minimal reference to some of the gatherings to avoid prejudice to their own investigation, concluded that the parties held at Downing Street during the lockdown "should not have been allowed to take place."
"Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify," Gray said.
Johnson has been grappling with calls to resign after a series of revelations showed that several social gatherings were held at his offices throughout 2020 and 2021, flouting COVID-19 social distancing rules.
Calls for him to step down from his role were renewed during the heated debate that took place in Parliament following the publication of the damning report but the prime minister said people must wait for the conclusions of the police inquiry. (ANI/Sputnik)
