Johnson vowing to carry on despite Partygate fine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has rejected calls to resign despite becoming the first serving prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law, after receiving a fixed penalty notice for breaking lockdown restrictions in June 2020.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak was also punished for the same offense, relating to social gatherings in and around Johnson's Downing Street headquarters when the country was under strict pandemic restrictions, which saw many people unable to visit dying relatives or attend funerals.

Stories of the gatherings, which have become known as the Partygate affair, first emerged late last year, with Johnson initially saying "guidelines were followed at all times" and Sunak telling the House of Commons "I did not attend any parties".

After initially declining to investigate, London's Metropolitan Police service began an inquiry which has ended up taking in 12 gatherings, with 50 penalty notices issued so far.

Speaking after the announcement of his fine, Johnson insisted that the gathering it related to, on his birthday, was "brief", adding: "In all frankness, at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules… but, of course, the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation."

A statement issued by Sunak's office said: "I understand that for figures in public office, the rules must be applied stringently in order to maintain public confidence … I respect the decision that has been made and have paid the fine."

Rachel Reeves, the opposition Labour Party's shadow chancellor, told Sky News that Johnson "no longer has the moral authority to lead".

"He's lied, he's lied again and he's covered up and he has never taken responsibility for the scale of the hurt that he has caused to people who made huge sacrifices," she said. "He has broken the ministerial code. Britain deserves better than the leadership that we have today."

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey said: "The government is in crisis because it is dishonest, it's in crisis because it has broken the law and it is in crisis because it has not taken the right measures to help people."

Lobby Akinnola, a spokesperson for the COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign group, told The Guardian newspaper that Johnson's behavior was "shameless" and his actions could lead to further unnecessary loss of life.

"There is simply no way either the prime minister or the chancellor can continue. Their dishonesty has caused untold hurt to the bereaved… they have lost all credibility with the wider public, which could cost lives if new variants mean restrictions are needed in the future."