Britain: The scandals of Boris Johnson's tenure

Boris Johnson recently announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and consequently as Prime Minister, following a barrage of resignations from ministers, under-secretaries and advisers who claimed he was no longer fit to govern.

After a days-long struggle to hold on to power Johnson was abandoned by all but a few of his allies after a series of scandals shook their willingness to support him.

Here are some scandals that have hit Johnson politically:

THE PINCHER CASE

Mass resignations from the government this week followed accusations by a former senior secretary that Johnson's office gave false information about past allegations of sexual harassment by MP Christopher Pincher.

In February, Johnson appointed Pincher as deputy in charge of party discipline. Last week Pincher was kicked out of the party after he admitted punching two men while drunk during a night out.

Along the way it became known that Pincher had been accused of other cases of sexual harassment.

The prime minister's office initially said Johnson was unaware of specific past allegations against Pincher. However, on Monday the Foreign Office's 2019 secretary-general, Simon MacDonald, wrote a letter saying he had investigated the allegations in 2019 and had verified them.

"PARTYGATE"

The term "Partygate" was coined in reference to a scandal involving parties held in government premises, including the Prime Minister's office in Downing Street itself, which were found to have breached strict regulations against COVID-19.

Johnson himself was fined by police for attending a birthday party and forced to apologize to Queen Elizabeth after it emerged that Downing Street staff had been partying in the grounds of the prime minister's residence on the eve of her husband Prince Philip's funeral. Elizabeth, in April 2021.

The queen sat alone during the ceremony inside the church because gatherings were prohibited.

A report by a senior secretary into a series of illegal parties amid the lockdown spoke of binge drinking and vomiting by Downing Street staff.

Parliament is still investigating whether Johnson repeatedly misled MPs when he denied knowledge of illegal parties.

Johnson maintains that he honestly believed at the time that the rallies did not violate the law, but now admits he was wrong.

MORE SEX SCANDALS

Johnson's Conservatives have also been hit by other scandals involving prominent MPs accused of sexual misconduct, including two cases that led to the resignations of MPs. In both cases the Tories lost by-elections last month.

Conservative MP Imran Ahmed Khan has resigned after being found guilty of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy. Neil Parris, another Tory MP, resigned after admitting watching pornography on his mobile phone twice in the House of Commons in "a moment of madness".

Another conservative MP was arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and other offences. The MP was released on bail in May and has not been identified by the media to protect the identity of the alleged victim.

OWEN PATTERSON CASE

Last year, a parliamentary committee recommended that Conservative MP and former minister Owen Paterson be suspended for 30 days after it was found that he had engaged in an "unbelievable case of paid lobbying" lobbying on behalf of companies that paid him.

The Conservatives initially voted in parliament to end Paterson's suspension and overhaul the investigation process. After headlines, Patterson resigned and the government abandoned proposed changes to cover up the affair. The Conservatives lost the local elections held to elect Paterson's replacement in parliament.

OPTIONAL RENOVATION

Following a refurbishment of the Downing Street flat where Boris Johnson still lives - commissioned by a celebrity designer and including £200.000 worth of gold wallpaper - Britain's Electoral Commission fined the Conservatives £17.800 for not reporting accurately a donation to pay for that renovation.

Johnson's ethics adviser later criticized the prime minister for not disclosing some messages exchanged with the donor. However, he concluded that Johnson had not deliberately lied about the messages.

Source: RES-EAP