"He should just do the right thing and resign"
A former mayor who was fined and later resigned following a Covid-19 breach has called on Boris Johnson to do the same.
This comes after the Prime Minister admitted that he attended a gathering during the first national lockdown.
Blackburn with Darwen Councillor Iftakhar Hussain said there was “no difference” in the gathering the PM and his staff took part in and what other people were fined for.
On January 12, 2022, Mr Johnson apologised for attending a ‘bring your own booze’ party in the garden of 10 Downing Street in May 2020.
The PM said he thought a “work event” was taking place.
Councillor Hussain said Mr Johnson’s explanation had made a “mockery” of the rules in place.
He said: “To hear such an excuse from the Prime Minister just makes a lot of people more upset.
“He should just do the right thing and resign just like I did. It is the decent and honourable thing to do.”
In February 2021, Councillor Hussain apologised for an “error of judgement” when he attended an event, described as “a wedding”, with up to 30 people present.
This was at a time when indoor household mixing was banned.
He was one of nine people fined by police.
Councillor Hussain resigned and suspended himself from the council’s Labour group after being fined £200.
He said he had been called to a house in Blackburn and realised he should have refused to attend.
At the time Cllr Hussain said: “I do not want to make any excuses. I regret the momentary lapse of judgement.
“I should have known better and I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
On Boris Johnson’s admission, Councillor Hussain said:
“It is shocking that we have someone in charge who does not fully understand the ramifications of his actions.
“In May 2020 at the height of the pandemic, many people could not attend funerals nor see their loved ones.
“Yet, here we have the head of the country attending an illegal gathering in his own garden.”
“And we know this was not the only time this happened.”
The ex-mayor went on to say that it would only be fair if the Downing Street staff were named and fined for attending the party.
Councillor Hussain added: “His actions and those of the Downing Street staff have made a mockery of the whole system.
“What about all those people who were stopped on the street and fined?
“What about the people who were fined for attending gatherings?
“We have read about countless incidents over the past 18 months where police fined people for all sorts of reasons.
“How does this make them feel?”
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