By Michael Ge
In late November of 2021, the Daily Mirror reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff at 10 Downing Street were holding several parties in 2020 and 2021, which violated the government’s very own COVID-19 restrictions. Initially, Johnson denied that any rules were violated. Then, a leaked video of a party emerged, and an investigation led by civil servant Sue Gray has since been authorized.
One of the parties is known to have occurred on the eve of the funeral of Prince Philip, where the Queen was pictured mourning the death of her husband alone. After news of this came out, Johnson issued a formal apology to the Queen. Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in response to the scandal, has said, “Scandal is going to follow Boris Johnson as long as he is Prime Minister.” Brown’s observation has certainly proved to be correct, as Johnson has been constantly dogged by questions about his involvement in the scandal.
In the months since, Johnson’s popularity has tumbled with more than 70% of Britons expressing disapproval in his leadership. The opposition Labour Party has surged in popularity, going from trailing in the polls to a commanding lead. One of Johnson’s own MPs has crossed the floor. Christian Wakeford, who represents the highly competitive constituency of Bury South, has defected to the Labour Party, alleging that he was blackmailed with loss of funding for a local school. Furthermore, many more MPs have called upon Johnson to resign.
This scandal seems to show no sign of letting up. With this unfortunate revelation, combined with crises emerging at both home and abroad, Boris Johnson’s tenure as prime minister may be nearing a premature end.
