Pressure On UK's Johnson Mounting As Fresh Report Of Another Downing Street Party Emerges

The pressure on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is facing calls to resign over a string of alleged parties held at his official residence in Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdown, has increased on Monday with fresh revelations that he reportedly attended another celebration in December 2020

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2022) The pressure on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is facing calls to resign over a string of alleged parties held at his official residence in Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdown, has increased on Monday with fresh revelations that he reportedly attended another celebration in December 2020.

According to the Mirror newspaper, Johnson attended a leaving celebration for his defense adviser Captain Steve Higham in the run-up to Christmas 2020 and gave a speech.

It is understood that the prime minister was there for a few minutes to thank him for his service as a small number of No10 staff briefly said goodbye, the media outlet reported.

On Wednesday, Johnson apologized for participating in a party that was held in the gardens of his official residence on May 20, 2020, but did not explicitly admit any wrongdoing as he claimed that he had assumed the gathering was a "work event."

Two days later, fresh reports said his staff at 10 Downing Street had two separate parties on April 16, 2021, on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral and that "wine-time Fridays" were held throughout the pandemic at the official residence.

"What we have seen in Downing Street after revelation after revelation is social gatherings on an industrial scale, preorganized with invitations going out, with alcohol being ordered especially... right through the initial lockdown and beyond," Labour lawmaker and shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell told Sky news broadcaster.

She claimed that the prime minister has lost "authority and trust," as people "just perceived him as being a liar."

Johnson has dodged calls for his resignation, arguing that an internal inquiry into the alleged violation of the COVID-19 rules in Downing Street is currently underway.

The UK media has also reported that in a bid to distract the public attention from the scandal, the prime minister is allegedly planning to make a series of policy announcement, including putting the military in charge of preventing migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats and abolishing the rather unpopular BBC licence fee.