Thursday, March 28

Johnson’s former adviser questions the official version of the British ‘premier’ about the holidays


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To the constant controversy about the parties held in Downing Street has been added Dominic Cummings, key adviser for the rise of Boris Johnson and that, after leaving the Government badly, has accused the prime minister of lying in his story before the House of Commons in relation to his alleged ignorance of the holidays.

Cummings’ nuances refer to a party held on May 20, 2020 and to which they had been about a hundred people invited, although later around 30 attended. Johnson told deputies last week that he was not aware of the event in advance and that, since he was working in Downing Street, he attended for 25 minutes to thank officials for their efforts in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cummings, who at that time worked as Johnson’s right-hand man, has assured that he was warned in advance not only of the celebration of the party, but that the event would breach the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The ‘premier’, however, ignored him, according to the story that the former adviser publishes on his blog.

Two other Downing Street sources have confirmed to the BBC that they remember how Cummings discouraged Johnson from attending the party that day, but the Government for now sticks to the official version of its leader, who has lowered the public profile in these last days.

Johnson, however, has wanted to get out of this latest controversy, rejecting “categorically” Cummings’ version. “Nobody warned me that it was against the rules,” he said, and then pointed out that “I would have remembered it.” Likewise, he has again apologized for the mistakes made and has insisted that he believed he had attended a work meeting.

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The prime minister has stated, during a visit to a hospital, that he did not see an email from his secretary inviting him to “drinks with social distance in the garden» of Downing Street. “I didn’t see him until the other day,” he asserted.

Audit

The deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, has also stated that Johnson “has made it clear” that he did not know in advance the call for the party and that he took it for granted. a work meeting more, which implies considering irreconcilable the version of the head of the Government and that of Cummings.

Raab, however, has acknowledged that any senior official who lies in the House of Commons must resign. “Normally”, at least, it is what corresponds, according to Raab, who has appealed in an interview to the BBC to the code of conduct that governs the behavior of public officials.

In a few days they could know the conclusions of the audit commissioned to purge responsibilities of the controversial parties, so Johnson in principle does not plan to comment more on this issue. A Downing Street spokesman recalled that the ‘premier’ has already apologized in Parliament and “will speak again once the investigation is complete.”

Expressly asked if he would resign if it were proven that he lied, Johnson has limited himself to saying: “Let’s see what the report says.”

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