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UK politics general discussion

A new picture has emerged of Boris Johnson showing an open bottle of champagne, crisps and a colleague wearing tinsel. This was on the 15th December when Tier 2 restrictions were in place.

 
Alsty said:
A new picture has emerged of Boris Johnson showing an open bottle of champagne, crisps and a colleague wearing tinsel. This was on the 15th December when Tier 2 restrictions were in place.

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Not really surprising is it? I don't think anything that comes out about Boris will surprise me now.
 
Interestingly, Partygate is apparently being covered to a surprising extent abroad, with even countries like the USA, where the news is apparently domestic matters most of the time, doing extensive reports and coverage about Boris’ antics: https://apple.news/APn27rCQWTs-AuYr3B-8rtg
(Source: The Independent, written by Skylar Baker-Jordan from Tennessee)

CNN apparently broadcasts PMQs live every Wednesday, national news channels are doing big features about it, and Joe Biden’s press secretary even made a joke about Partygate, joking that Biden had “never been ambushed by a cake”.

The writer of the article suggests that the scandal is so well-known that it’s “the first time that Americans have known the British Prime Minister’s name since Tony Blair teamed up with George W Bush to invade Iraq”…
 
Half expected that link to go to The Onion.

But people will believe it. After all, it's the WOKE GENERATION trying to attack office parties as being a bad and offensive thing.
 
A leak of the police questionnaire has confirmed that Boris Johnson is being questioned “under police caution”, which is apparently a first for a UK prime minister: https://www.theguardian.com/politic...rtygate-questionnaire-includes-police-caution

I’m not sure what “police caution” means exactly, but it sounds significant. The article above does describe that the questionnaire tells Boris that he does not have to say anything, but it could harm any potential defence in court if he doesn’t, for what it’s worth.

The questionnaire asks participants to confirm their attendance at a specific event, and it also asks what their purpose of participation at the gathering was, as well as whether they interacted with anyone else at the gathering. They are also offered the opportunity to give a “lawful exception” or “reasonable excuse” for attendance, which Boris Johnson is understood to be taking advantage of to claim that the gatherings were part of his job.
 
The caution refers to the famous phrase "You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something that you later rely on in Court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence"

It's a way of making the evidence admissible in a Court of Law. Basically he does not have to answer any questions put to him by the police. If he does answer them, they are recorded as evidence and if he were to say something different later in court then that would be detrimental to his defence. Additionally if he chooses to say nothing now but later in court tries to give an explanation, inferences could be made (e.g. that the account has been subsequently made up)
 
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rob666 said:
He is also probably the only British Prime Minister ever to be put under caution.
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I think he is, actually; the article above certainly implied that, as well as comments from Angela Rayner.
 
Important to remember that, like arrest, it's only an investigative tool to establish the facts of an offence and not in iteslf an indication of guilt.

But it's not a great look for a serving PM in the circumstances!
 
I'm looking forward to the picture of him pinned to the police car, handcuffed. Although I'm well aware they are unlikely to do that for this.
 
Matt N said:
With all currently going on in Ukraine, the Partygate scandal is falling slightly more under the radar. Interestingly, a Tory ally today encouraged the police to “butt out” of the parties situation, saying that COVID regulations were never intended to be used as a retrospective punishment: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politic...eet-parties-investigation-boris-johnson-ally/

What do we think of this?
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And 99.99% of us on here don't have ability to get past the Torygraph paid firewall as well Matt!
How exactly does the Tory supporter know what the regulations "intentions" were?
Retrospective or not, lawbreakers are lawbreakers, and timescales are simply an excuse to avoid responsibility.
"I lied and cheated...but it was a year or so ago...let me off."
Such a good look.
 
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