Matt Hancock said Boris Johnson shouldn’t resign over Partygate and everyone’s irony meters broke
Although the Met Police are still investigating allegations of lockdown parties in Downing Street and Westminster, they have confirmed 20 cases of rule-breaking, resulting in fixed penalty notices.
Just so we're all clear:
20 fines have been issued over the Downing Street parties.
If the PRIMARY RESIDENT and BOSS of the building where the crimes took place isn't among those who get fined… Then the Met Police is just a bunch of Tory henchmen.#PartyGate
— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) March 29, 2022
Boris Johnson is not among those in this first wave of fines.
Boris Johnson will not receive a fixed penalty notice. They’re refusing to fine the host of the house party.
Confirmation that it’s not only one rule for them, but one law for them and another for the rest of us.
He’s done it. Completely normalised lying and corruption.
— Supertanskiii (@supertanskiii) March 29, 2022
While the police haven’t revealed which parties are involved, questions are being asked about Boris Johnson’s claims in the House of Commons that no rules were broken.
Fact: Government officials fined for breaking lockdown rules Fiction: Boris Johnson says no laws were broken and he did not mislead Parliament Fact: Johnson sees no reason to apologise and will continue to treat Parliament and public with contempt
— Lionel Barber (@lionelbarber) March 29, 2022
Among those defending the PM is former Health Secretary and well-known Lothario-about-town, Matt Hancock, who told just about anybody who would listen that Johnson should remain in post to steer the country through its current difficulties.
.@skysarahjane asks Matt Hancock: 'If a fixed penalty notice is given to the PM does that mean he has broken the law?'
The Tory MP avoids the question saying 'the PM has apologised' and understands the public's "frustration."
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/jOjfZwdnIx
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 29, 2022
Matt Hancock says the PM should not consider resigning over partygate, adding: “on Covid the PM got the big calls right, if you think about it most countries are still in covid restrictions…we were one of the first countries out because of getting those calls right” pic.twitter.com/ftfdZxtg0s
— Jess Brammar (@jessbrammar) March 29, 2022
When tweeters had picked up their jaws from the floor, they posted these reactions.
1.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” https://t.co/bXDZMKjUVQ
— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) March 29, 2022
2.
That's one way of looking at it. https://t.co/SSq0nTjMmr
— THE SECRET TORY 🗽 (@secrettory12) March 29, 2022
3.
BREAKING: Matt Hancock, who said Professor Ferguson should resign for breaking lockdown rules, insists Boris Johnson should not resign for breaking lockdown rules. We need more MPs with the moral consistency of Hancock, don't we? x
— Laura Kuenssberg Translator (@BBCLauraKT) March 29, 2022
4.
2020: Prof Ferguson has to resign after he broke covid laws
2022: Johnson can't resign after he broke covid laws#Partygate pic.twitter.com/3YglRiwyxQ
— UK is with EU (@ukiswitheu) March 29, 2022
5.
Matt Hancock is an insufferable opportunist. An intellectual vacuum, a speck of spin fodder awaiting a seat in the House of Lords. I have no idea why people tolerate this nonsense.
— Brendan May 🇺🇦 (@bmay) March 29, 2022
6.
The Matt Hancock guide to resignation update pic.twitter.com/Z9G17eJBuq
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) March 29, 2022
7.
These attempts to rewrite history are so brazen & disrespectful. 186k people are dead – not least because instead of suppressing the virus until we had vaccines, @BorisJohnson chose to let it rip in two catastrophic waves causing 10s of 1000s of avoidable deaths. Unforgivable. https://t.co/XaJwcnWmDK
— Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) March 29, 2022
8.
Well, if the guy who let 10,000s Brits die needlessly, while cheating on his wife, doesn't lend the PM some moral authority, I don't know who can. Seriously, a split condom has more integrity. https://t.co/AeehlP2aG6
— Simon Threadgold 🇺🇦 (@dimwittedly) March 29, 2022