UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly declined to say whether he will resign if he is found to have broken Covid lockdown rules when asked by a reporter at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme, Mr Johnson said there was "not a jot" to say about the allegations until the police inquiry was completed.
However, the prime minister said he hoped the public “won’t have long” to wait for the investigations to conclude. “I will be saying a lot more about it in due course,” he said.
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to give you full and detailed answers on all this stuff. I genuinely can’t because we’ve got a process under way – there is not a jot I can say until it is done,” he said.
Mr Johnson has given police a legal questionnaire regarding claims that parties were held in Downing Street that breached lockdown rules in place at the time.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating 12 events allegedly attended by government figures during lockdowns, including as many as six that the prime minister reportedly attended.
Officers involved in Operation Hillman, which is examining whether coronavirus restrictions were broken in Downing Street and across Whitehall, sent formal questionnaires to about 50 people as part of the probe into alleged Covid rule-breaking.
The content of Mr Johnson’s questionnaire response has not been made public.
During his interview with the BBC in Munich, Mr Johnson was told that the public found some of his excuses for attending Downing Street gatherings “implausible”, to which he replied: “You’re just going to have to wait until the process is complete – there is literally not a bean I can tell you about that, as much as I would like to.”
Addressing the mounting criticism from within his own party over the alleged breaches and calls for his resignation, Mr Johnson said that he was lucky to live in a democracy where people can make their own decisions.
“I am fortunate to be the PM of a free, independent, democratic country where people can take that sort of decision and where I do face that sort of pressure, that’s a wonderful thing,” he said.
Asked by Sky on Sunday whether Mr Johnson should resign if issued with a fixed penalty notice by police over the parties, Europe Minister James Cleverly said the country did not need “a vacuum at the centre of government” while it was dealing with Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said called for Mr Johnson resignation if he was found to have broken the law.
“If he won’t resign, Conservative MPs must do the right thing and sack him," he said. "For a sitting prime minister to be found guilty of breaking the law would be unprecedented and put to bed once and for all the Conservative Party’s claim to be the party of law and order."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
Read more about the coronavirus
More coverage from the Future Forum
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
SQUADS
Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed
Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
