UK government: Boris Johnson to be fined over lockdown parties

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said Tuesday he will be issued a fine for breaching COVID-19 regulations following allegations of lockdown parties at government offices. Treasury Chief Rishi Sunak will also be fined.

The “partygate” scandal has angered many in Britain and seen dozens of politicians and officials investigated over allegations that the government flouted its own pandemic restrictions.

Police sent questionnaires to more than 100 people, including the prime minister, and interviewed witnesses as part of the investigation, the AP reported.

Johnson has denied any wrongdoing, but he is alleged to have been at several of the dozen events in his 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings that are being investigated by the police.

Opponents, and some members of the governing Conservative Party, have said that Johnson should resign if he is issued a fine for breaking rules he imposed on the rest of the country during the pandemic.

The scandal had left Johnson’s tenure on a knife-edge before Russia launched a war in Ukraine more than a month ago that gave Britain’s politicians more urgent priorities and pushed the scandal from the headlines.

But the police have continued their investigation of dozens of politicians and officials.