MP's 'shock and disappointment' at Covid lockdown fines for Prime Minister and Chancellor - The Worcester Observer

MP's 'shock and disappointment' at Covid lockdown fines for Prime Minister and Chancellor

Worcester Editorial 13th Apr, 2022   0

MALVERN’s MP Harriett Baldwin has expressed her ‘shock and disappointment’ at both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor being fined for breaking lockdown rules in Downing Street in June 2020.

And while the West Worcestershire MP has ruled out writing a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister to Conservative 1922 committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, Mrs Baldwin condemned her party leader and chancellor for their actions.

Number 10 confirmed the Prime Minister would receive a fixed penalty notice for attending a birthday party on June 19, 2020. The guidelines at that time banned people from different households meeting indoors for any length of time.

Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were among a tranche of 30 more fixed penalty notices dished out by Scotland Yard on Tuesday (April 12) to people who broke lockdown rules.




A No10 spokeswoman said: ‘The Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have received notification that the Metropolitan Police intend to issue them with fixed penalty notices.”

The Prime Minister, his wife and the Chancellor all confirmed the fine had been paid and Mr Johnson apologised for breaking the rules and said he accepted ‘in full sincerity that people had the right to expect better’.


However, speaking to the Observer, Mrs Baldwin said: “Naturally I am shocked and disappointed that the Metropolitan Police have found that both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor behaved in such a way in their workplace that they have attracted a criminal sanction.

“So many of us made huge sacrifices during periods of lockdown and I have heard many, many stories of local people who missed out on birthdays, marriages, deaths and funerals because they were following the rules. My thoughts remain with every person who lost a loved one or friends in this terrible chapter of our history.

“As a vice chair of the Coronavirus Recovery Group I hope this will deter any future Government from putting in place rules which are so difficult to follow for themselves and for us all.

“While I do not intend to write a letter to Sir Graham Brady MP, as I believe the Government is showing strong and unified leadership over Ukraine, I am proud to live in a democratic country where our politicians face frequent and rigorous judgment from voters at the ballot box,” she added.

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