Guildford’s MP Disappointed With News of ‘Partygate’ Fines and Hopes PM Will Correct the Record

Published on: 15 Apr, 2022
Updated on: 15 Apr, 2022

Angela Richardson MP and Prime Minster Boris Johnson

By Martin Giles

Guildford’s MP has told The Guildford Dragon that news of the Prime Minister receiving a fixed penalty notice for breaches of Covid lockdown rules is “disappointing” and that she hopes he will correct the record of what he said in Parliament in December.

But Angela Richardson has stopped short of calling for Boris Johnson’s resignation.

She resigned from her position as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Secretary of State Michael Gove in January.

See: Guildford’s Tory MP Quits Government Role Over ‘Partygate’ But Does Not Call for PM’s Resignation

Ms Richardson said today (April 15): “The news that the Metropolitan Police has issued a Fixed Penalty Notice for breaches of Covid lockdown rules to the Prime Minister is disappointing. It is helpful that with the Met’s action, we are further along the line of establishing the facts in this matter; Sue Gray is still to publish her final findings, which are expected shortly.

“The Prime Minister indicated he would say more in due course following the Metropolitan Police findings and a statement is expected next week. As part of that, It is my hope that he will take the important step of correcting the record of what was said to the House in December regarding parties in No.10.

“My thoughts remain with all those people who have lost loved ones to this pandemic – almost all of us will have been directly affected or know others who were. I also think of all those in our health service and other public services for whom dealing with the pandemic presented experiences that words cannot adequately describe.”

On Tuesday (April 12), Liberal Democrats called for Parliament to be recalled to allow a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson as Prime Minister to be held.

Zoe Franklin

The Lib Dem’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Guildford, Zoe Franklin said: “This [news of the fines] confirms what we have all been thinking, the Prime Minister and senior members of his government have no respect for the British public or the incredible sacrifices they made during the pandemic. This is completely unacceptable and quite honestly insulting.

“Conservative MPs, including Guildford’s MP, said they were waiting for the police investigation before passing judgement. Well, the evidence is here for all to see. Boris Johnson broke the law, laws that he himself made and has lied to parliament. He must go.”

Responses to Guildford’s MP Disappointed With News of ‘Partygate’ Fines and Hopes PM Will Correct the Record

Christian Holliday Reply

April 15, 2022 at 1:52 pm

Fixed Penalty Notices are issued in their thousands every year for minor offences up and down the land. It’s a nonsense to suggest people should resign from their jobs over something that a £50 fine can remedy. It’s even more nonsensical when you consider that this surprise ‘party’ lasted less than 10 minutes and the cake, if there even was one, never left the box.

It was hardly a pre-planned rave involving thousands of revellers. Let’s get a sense of proportion here, please.

Christian Holliday is a former Conservative borough councillor
Dave Fielding Reply

April 15, 2022 at 5:08 pm

Didn’t our Prime Minister also say he would do everything possible to speed up and simplify the process of enabling Ukrainian refugees to enter the UK? So why has the Home Office suddenly found the time and resources to do deals with Rwanda for other refugees to be sent there?

This is a government built on lies.
Peter Southgate Reply

April 17, 2022 at 9:50 am

I am getting a bit tired of the perpetual wingeing about “partygate” and now Sunak’s green card. We’re on the verge of World War 3 and all people want to do is continually bang on about the same thing. Right now we need stable, consistent leadership and whoever is in power needs to stay there, whoever they are and however many “parties” they went to, at least whilst until this crisis abates.

Whatever people’s views about Boris, and whether he is fit for purpose or not, a change in government now would be catastrophic. The threat of nuclear conflict far outweighs Christmas parties at No 10!

There seems to be a proliferation of other people/ political groups who are very adept at telling us what is being done wrong but fail to offer a feasible alternative.
- Miles Singleton Reply
  
  April 18, 2022 at 7:25 am
  
  That’s right. In previous times it was said, how dare the Tories replace Neville Chamberlain with that drunk oath Winston Churchill?
Stuart Barnes Reply

April 18, 2022 at 9:05 am

It is a bit pathetic that the left and far left, being unable to beat Boris Johnson electorally, are pinning their hopes on the utterly ridiculous apparently non stop “party” hysteria.

There are many reasons to attack Boris (how about promising Brexit and then not delivering it – for just one example) but the constant banging on about “partygate” by parts of the left media, such as the BBC and The Guardian, seems to demonstrate a lack of other real issues they can use.

Give it a rest. There are many more real issues to deal with. How about giving some thought to such things as a possible World War started by Putin or the rate of illegal immigration into this country, to name but two?