Adrian Ramsay speaking at Green Party Conference

The ‘partygate’ scandal has stepped up a gear today, as both prime minister Boris Johnson and chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak have received fixed penalty notices over rule breaking parties during Lockdown. More than 50 fines have now been issued by the police for violations of gatherings which violated rules during lockdown.

Through being fined, Johnson has become the first prime minister to have been sanctioned for breaking the law.

As news of Johnson and Sunak’s fines broke, major figures across the political spectrum have called for them both to resign. Among them are a number of prominent Greens.

Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Adrian Ramsay called for both Sunak and Johnson to “step aside”. He said,

There is nowhere left for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to hide. They both broke the very laws they made to try and keep this country safe in a pandemic and must now resign. This is a damning indictment of the reckless culture of a Conservative Party and Prime Minister that consider themselves untouchable.

During lockdown, people throughout the country were making unimaginable sacrifices, yet Boris Johnson and his chums thought they could act with apparent impunity, regardless of what they were asking others to do. Not only is this a cruel and callous way to run a government, it also shows that throughout the Conservative Party there runs a streak of sheer contempt for the vast majority of us.

The only way either Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak can maintain a shred of decency is to apologise for the harm caused and step aside.

Meanwhile Green MSP Gillian Mackay has said that neither Sunak nor Johnson could “credibly govern” following the fines. She said,

Even by the low standards of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, this is a disgrace. They have shown a total disregard for the rules that they themselves set. They totally ignored the sacrifices that people were making across the country and partied on regardless.

It is not just the parties that were shocking, it is also the series of lies and half-truths that were told to cover them up. This whole saga has totally undermined public trust in them and their government. They cannot credibly govern. It is time for them to take responsibility. If they have a shred of dignity left they will resign immediately.

And the Green Party of England Wales deputy leader Amelia Womack, said that Johnson and Sunak should “stand down over these shameful actions. She tweeted,

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