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Police fine Britain's Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak for attending parties in lockdown

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

London police have fined British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the U.K.'s chancellor of the Exchequer. They've been fined an undisclosed amount for attending a party in violation of the government's own COVID lockdown rules. This is the first time police have found that a sitting prime minister broke the law. Johnson addressed the matter briefly today.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON: Let me say immediately that I've paid the fine, and I once again offer a full apology.

CHANG: Now, this could threaten Johnson's grip on power. But as NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from London, the war in Ukraine seems to have bought the prime minister some time.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: When the scandal broke in December, Johnson insisted no one had violated any rules. But when it became increasingly clear that government staff had held at least a dozen parties when such gatherings were banned, many were furious. Here's Douglas Ross, who leads Johnson's Conservative Party in Scotland, speaking back in January.

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DOUGLAS ROSS: If the prime minister or anyone misleads Parliament, you cannot come back from that. That is a resigning matter. It's also breaking the law.

LANGFITT: What a difference several months make. Since then, Russia has invaded Ukraine. Johnson was a tough and early critic of President Vladimir Putin, and his government has sent thousands of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine's army. Today, in a sign of shifting attitudes, Douglas Ross reversed himself on Britain's Sky TV.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROSS: I previously called for the prime minister to step down. But since then, we have seen something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime - another war in Europe. All of that, for me, changes the situation.

LANGFITT: Some lawmakers in Johnson's party say switching prime ministers during a war makes little sense, and many praise his handling of the conflict. Ross cited the prime minister's recent trip to Kyiv, where Johnson, dressed in a coat and tie, walked around the city center with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A local resident even stopped Johnson to thank him for Britain's support.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).

LANGFITT: Johnson is also helped by the fact that his main political rival for the prime minister's job, Sunak, is also caught up in the scandal. Katy Balls, the deputy political editor at The Spectator magazine, thinks Johnson will survive for now, but she's waiting to see how his party responds.

KATY BALLS: There are MPs coming out to say they support Boris Johnson, but there's also a lot of MPs who are not tweeting or doing media. And I think this silence is something that is going to lead to nerves in Downing Street over the next few days.

LANGFITT: The political fallout may become clear in early May, when Britons head to the polls for local elections.

Frank Langfitt, NPR News, London.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Frank Langfitt is NPR's London correspondent. He covers the UK and Ireland, as well as stories elsewhere in Europe.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.