Partygate: UK PM’s four top aides quit

London: Four of Boris Johnson’s closest aides have resigned, in the latest setback for the embattled British prime minister trying to reset his government in the wake of the Downing Street ‘Partygate’ scandal that has put his position in peril.

Johnson’s longstanding policy chief Munira Mirza, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, and communications director Jack Doyle all left their posts within hours of each other on Thursday, days after a damning investigation revealed that multiple parties took place at Downing Street while the rest of the United Kingdom was living under strict Covid-19 lockdown rules. Doyle confirmed his exit shortly after the departure of Mirza. They were followed by Rosenfield and Reynolds, it was reported.

The top aides’ resignations come as Johnson, 57, faces increasing questions over his leadership from w i t h i n his party. Doyle told staff that “recent weeks have taken a terrible toll on my f a m i l y life”, but that he had always intended to leave a f t e r t w o years. A statement from a No 10 spokeswoman said Rosenfield had offered his resignation to the prime minister earlier on Thursday but would stay on while his successor was found. Reynolds - the prime minister’s principal private secretary - will do the same, but then return to a role at the Foreign Office, the report said.

However, Mirza quit over the Prime Minister’s false claim that opposition Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was director of public prosecutions, and his refusal to apologise. Mirza was the first to go, using a stinging resignation letter to accuse the prime minister of “scurrilous” behaviour when he falsely linked Starmer to the failure to bring paedophile Jimmy Savile to justice. Mirza’s exit is the most consequential. She was one of Johnson’s long-standing allies and a key political player who helped shape the prime minister’s platform - some of which made her unpopular with other members of his ruling Conservative Party. Chancellor Rishi Sunak publicly distanced himself from Johnson’s original comment, saying: “Being honest, I wouldn’t have said it.” And asked if Johnson should apologise, the Indian-origin leader said: “That’s for the prime minister to decide.” Sunak has previously declined to criticise Johnson directly throughout the weeks of revelations about lockdownbusting parties in Downing Street, though he has acknowledged that mistakes were made. The flurry of resignations came at the end of an important day for the government as the chancellor sought to explain how he hopes to avert a cost of living crisis for millions of people affected by rising fuel bills and mortgage payments.

gage payments. The pressure for Johnson to step down has been increasing among members of his Conservative party after a series of missteps and allegations he and his team held rule-breaking parties during the pandemic. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “No amount of reorganising Downing Street can clean up the sleaze that comes straight from the top”.

“With [Johnson’s] senior advisers and aides quitting, perhaps it is finally time for him to look in the mirror and consider if he might just be the problem,” Rayner said. Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings claimed Mirza’s departure was “an unmistakable signal the bunker is collapsing and this PM is finished”. He urged ministers to show a similar “flicker of moral courage” and resign. Johnson has apologized and pledged to fix the problems in his office, but has not admitted personal wrongdoing.

The prime minister’s grip on power has been shaken by revelations that his staff held “bring your own booze” office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays” in 2020 and 2021 while millions in Britain were barred from meeti n g w i t h friends and family. (PTI)