MEMBERS of Parliament and the Senedd based in North Wales have called for the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to resign after they were both fined for breaking lockdown rules.
Both men, as well as Mr Johnson’s wife, all received fixed penalty notices for attending a birthday gathering for the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street in June 2020.
All three have since apologised, with the Prime Minister admitting that “people had the right to expect better" from him.
But Siân Gwenllian and Hywel Williams, MS and MP for the Arfon constituency respectively (both Plaid Cymru), urged both the Prime Minister and Chancellor to quit.
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Prime Minister urged to resign as MPs and MSs react to Sue Gray report
Indeed, Mr Williams called for an urgent Parliamentary recall, adding that if Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak do not resign, “Westminster truly is rotten to the core”.
He said: “The rest of us followed the rules and made huge sacrifices out of a sense of duty and because it was the right thing to do.
“Those who mislead - cynically, repeatedly, deliberately - cannot lead us one day more, especially in these times of crisis.
“Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak must resign. If they do not go now, then Westminster truly is rotten to the core.
“If Welsh Tory MPs had a shred of humility or respect for their own activists, they will call for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to go now.
“It is scandalous that Parliament is unable to hold the Prime Minister and Chancellor to account for breaking the law due to the announcement being made during recess.
“Parliament must urgently be recalled.”
These fines follow a report published in late January, led by senior civil servant Sue Gray, which investigated 16 separate alleged gatherings on Government premises during COVID-19 restrictions between May 2020 and December 2021.
The report, which has not yet been published in its entirety, concluded that there is “significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across government”, and blamed the events on "a failure of leadership".
Ms Gwenllian echoed Mr Williams’ calls for Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak to leave government, adding that they have lost the nation’s trust through their actions.
Conservative MP Michael Fabricant this week said he knew of nurses and teachers who would drink in staff rooms during lockdown, which various bodies have since denied, and which Ms Gwenllian called “unsubstantiated” and adding “insult to injury”.
She said: “The last two years has been a cruel ordeal for many. Necessary restrictions were put in place to save lives and avoid the worst-case scenario.
“The public feel cheated to hear that the rule makers themselves have shown disregard of those restrictions.
“For Tory MPs to try to divert the attention away from a law-breaking Prime Minister and Chancellor with unsubstantiated claims about school staff and health workers adds insult to injury.
“Nations must be led by leaders who are believed to have a moral standing and more fundamentally, a respect for the rule of law.
“In that respect, both have lost the trust of the nation and they must go now.”
Meanwhile, a Conservative peer, Lord David Wolfson, resigned as a justice minister this week, becoming the first person to quit government since reports of lockdown parties surfaced.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he criticised the "official response" to "repeated rule-breaking".
Virginia Crosbie and David Jones, the Conservative MPs for Ynys Môn and Clwyd West respectively, added their disappointment at the news.
Mrs Crosbie said: “The Prime Minister has been a huge supporter of Anglesey and a staunch advocate of a new nuclear power station at Wylfa and all the investment and jobs that brings.
“This makes the news of a fine for breaking COVID regulations very disappointing because I believe he has done a great job with Brexit, the pandemic and now leading the international response to Ukraine.
“Now is not the time for any hasty action when we face such challenges and war rages on our continent, although I do recognise and understand the anger of those who kept to the rules and those who lost loved ones.
“I welcome the apologies from the Prime Minister and the Chancellor.
“Moving forward, I want to listen to my constituents over the next few days, I want to see the culmination of the police investigation, and I want to speak to my colleagues when parliament returns next week.”
Mr Jones added: "The incident is highly regrettable. It would appear the Prime Minister accepted a slice of birthday cake in the cabinet room at No 10 and stayed in the room for a short while afterwards.
"This was in breach of regulations at the relevant time. He has been issued with a fixed penalty notice by the Metropolitan Police, which he has accepted and has paid the fine.
"The Prime Minister has quite properly apologised for his action and has acknowledged that people had the right to expect better of him.
"I have no doubt that the Prime Minister will be making a statement to the Commons on its return after the Easter recess next week.
“I shall be attending the statement and listening to what he has to say, and shall also have discussions with colleagues."
Elsewhere, James Davies and Robin Millar, Conservative MPs for Vale of Clwyd and Aberconwy respectively, said they preferred to wait until the conclusion of the ongoing police investigation before commenting.
Mr Millar said: "I note developments but I await the conclusion of the police investigation and publication of the Gray report before I comment further.
"Right now, I'm more focused on the role of the UK as leader in the defence support of Ukraine, leader of the anti-war coalition and leader in sanctions against Russian aggression in Eastern Europe."
The Metropolitan Police is investigating 12 parties, and has already issued more than 50 fines.
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn MS), Gareth Davies (Vale of Clwyd MS), Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy MS), Darren Millar (Clwyd West MS) and Sam Rowlands (North Wales MS) were also approached for comment.
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