World / Boris johnson resigns 5 Biggest Scandals that Hit Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson tendered his resignation as British Prime Minister on Thursday. Boris Johnson was under a lot of pressure after several ministers resigned one after the other in the past. After his resignation, he said that he would continue as prime minister till the new leader is elected. Several close to the prime minister in the cabinet, including Home Minister Priti Patel, were demanding his resignation. On Tuesday, Johnson apologized for not responding properly to the appointment of former party deputy whip Chris Pincher and allegations of sexual harassment against him. But despite that, more than 50 of his colleagues have resigned.

The Pincher scandal is not the only one, apart from this there are many scandals which have led to the loss of Boris Johnson's chair. Let's know about the 5 scandals that led to the loss of Boris Johnson's chair.

The Pincher Affair

'The Pincher Affair' or the Pincher Scandal is the biggest reason behind Boris Johnson's departure. It is being said that this week a large number of resignations from the government have been due to the Pincher scandal. A senior former civil servant alleged that Boris Johnson's office provided false information about past sexual assault allegations against MP Christopher Pincher.

In February, Johnson appointed Pincher as deputy chief whip. But last week, Pincher was suspended from the party. Pincher had admitted that he had inappropriately touched two people under the influence of alcohol. It later emerged that Pincher had been accused of sexual harassment in the past. It was said that Boris had not informed the party about this. Johnson's office initially said the prime minister was unaware of the previous allegations against Pincher. However, on Monday, senior former civil servant Simon McDonald wrote a letter saying that he had investigated the allegations in 2019 and found the complaints to be true.

"Partygate"

When hundreds of people were dying every day during Corona, there was a lot of discussion about a night party of the British PM which was also called "Partygate". This party was not held anywhere else but in the PM's office i.e. 10 Downing Street. The PM was said to have violated strict COVID-19 lockdown rules by partying.

Johnson was fined by the police for attending his birthday party. Not only this, Boris Johnson also had to apologize to Queen Elizabeth. The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, died in April 2021. But the party in Downing Street on the eve of his funeral made a lot of headlines. When the matter opened, Boris apologized to the Empress.

It was also called the partygate scandal because it was not the only party that happened in the PM's office. A senior civil servant's report found that there were several illegal parties during the lockdown. The report also pointed out cases of employees consuming excessive alcohol and vomiting. Parliament is still investigating whether Johnson was aware of or had no knowledge of illegal parties. Johnson says he was convinced at the time that the parties had not broken the law, but now admits he was mistaken.

other sex scandals

MPs from Johnson's Conservative Party have been accused of sexual harassment. Out of which two of the MPs also resigned due to the allegations. Conservative MP Imran Ahmed Khan has resigned after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. Another Conservative MP, Neil Parish, resigned after admitting that he twice watched porn on his phone in the House of Commons. Another Conservative MP was arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and other offences. The MP was granted bail in May.

Owen Paterson Affair

Last year, Parliament's Standards Committee recommended the suspension of Conservative MP and former minister Owen Paterson for 30 days. This was done because they lobbied on behalf of the companies that paid them. Conservative lawmakers initially voted to halt Patterson's suspension in parliament and change the process of examining lawmakers. Instead of making headlines, Patterson resigned and the government abandoned the proposed changes. The Conservatives lost the election to fill Patterson's seat.

check on refurbishment

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat was refurbished. It was led by a celebrity designer and featured gold wallpapers. After the matter came to light, the UK Election Commission found that Boris did not give the correct details of the money paid for it. He was fined £17,800 for failing to report correctly.