UK Tories Chair Stands Against Johnson Stepping Down Despite COVID-19 Rules Violation

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2022) Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden said on Sunday that Boris Johnson should remain UK Prime Minister despite controversy over his alleged participation in COVID-rule breaking Downing Street parties, since he had taken effective steps to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, Johnson faced renewed calls to resign following fresh reports that his staff at 10 Downing Street held parties on April 16, 2021, on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral and when the United Kingdom was still under strict COVID-19 rules.

"I think Boris Johnson should, of course, remain as our prime minister," Dowden told Sky news.

At the same time, the Conservative Party's chairman said that he did not try to justify Johnson's participation in the parties in breach of COVID-19 restrictions.

"I don't diminish for a second that the kind of events that we've seen were totally wrong. I was angered by them, my constituents were angered by them, the whole country was angered by them," he said.

However, Dowden recalled that when it came to the fight against the pandemic, Johnson made the right decisions, including the call on mass boosters which has been getting the country through the new COVID-19 wave of the Omicron strain.

Dowden also noted that the UK authorities have seen "promising data" on COVID-19 cases that give "pause for hope and optimism" that the country is "emerging from the worst of Omicron."

In late 2021, Johnson faced criticism after a video clip showed his Downing Street staff joking about a Christmas party that was celebrated on May 2020 in breach of COVID-19 lockdown rules. The prime minister admitted in parliament that he attended the party and apologized for it, but did not explicitly admit any wrongdoing as he claimed that he had assumed the gathering was a work event.

Although the prime minister apologized for breaking the rules at a time outdoor gatherings were banned, he is facing mounting pressure from the opposition and some members of his own Conservative Party to resign.