Boris Johnson’s non-resignation in context — other people resigned for far less
Boris Johnson has not resigned, and has not been fired by his party. He was fined for breaking the law, attending parties during lockdown. He also lives in the most fined house in the UK for lockdown breaches. In his house, where he was in charge, people who worked for him had raucous parties late into the night, having just passed legislation that forced the rest of the country to suffer soul-crushing isolation, to say goodbye to dying relatives on video calls, or hug grandparents through plastic sheets.
Nobody has resigned or been fired. Those found guilty of breaches were handed negligible fines. The lack of resignation and the scale of the fines is better understood in a wider context.
In May, 2020, Professor Neil Fergusson, who was a significant contributor to this country’s planning for Covid, resigned as a government advisor after meeting his girlfriend just after having had Covid (and therefore posing no risk). Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said, it was “extraordinary” and that he “took the right decision to resign” adding that the social distancing rules “are there for everyone” and are “deadly serious.”
“Social distancing regulations are there for a very clear purpose,” the prime minister’s spokesman added.
