David Lammy's passionate call for Boris Johnson to resign over partygate fine
13 April 2022, 11:11 | Updated: 13 April 2022, 16:15
'There is no time more important to replace a feckless leader than during a crisis.'
David Lammy gave Boris Johnson nowhere to hide in one of his most passionate monologues yet on the Downing Street party fines.
It comes after the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak received police fines for Covid lockdown breaches in the Partygate scandal.
The penalty notices sent to the Prime Minister and Mr Sunak are part of fines sent to government staff who attended parties in Whitehall during 2020 and 2021 when Covid-19 restrictions were in place.
A No10 spokeswoman confirmed both of them will receive fines for breaches of Covid-19 regulations.
The fine makes Boris Johnson the first sitting British Prime Minister to have broken the law.
David Lammy said: "Guilt is what so many of us felt for making sacrifices during the pandemic over the last few years. Guilt for not visiting elderly or dying relatives, guilt for not going to funerals, guilt for going or not being able to go to weddings, guilt for not seeing the birth of their own children.
"It breaks my heart and your heart, because the only people who should be feeling guilt are our so-called leaders who are refusing to take responsibility for their crimes.
"The guilty men are the Prime Minister and the Chancellor. They've dishonoured the sacrifice that the British public made on their behalf. They've dishonoured their public office. They've dishonoured their country."
Read more: Boris and Rishi say sorry over Partygate fines but insist they won't quit
David then listed the dates of the alleged Downing Street parties along with the number of people who died with Covid on those days.
"He broke the ministerial code, he lied to Parliament, he became the first Prime Minister to break the law in office," he said.
David gave Boris Johnson a "history lesson" of the UK Prime Ministers who took office during a crisis, calling for him to resign: "There is no time more important to replace a feckless leader than during a crisis."
Read more: PM, Carrie and Chancellor hit with fines for lockdown-busting party breaches
