Photos Of Him Gathered In 10 Downing Street Park During The COVID-19 Lockdown, This Is What British PM Boris Johnson Says

Perdana Menteri Inggris Boris Johnson. (Wikimedia Commons/Palácio do Planalto)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a series of denials on Monday over allegations he and his staff had violated COVID-19 lockdown rules, after a photo emerged of the prime minister and more than a dozen others drinking wine in the garden of his office at No. 10 Downing Street.

The photo of the gathering, reportedly taken in May last year, follows reports of another social event during a time when his government told Britons they should not hang out with other people.

Rising public anger at the meeting has cast doubt on PM Johnson's authority within his Conservative Party, as ministers consider new restrictions to control a spike in COVID-19 cases. The Conservatives lost their long-held parliamentary seat in a by-election last week.

The image, published by the Guardian newspaper on Sunday evening, shows PM Johnson with wife Carrie, who appears to be holding their newborn son, and two others at a table on the terrace in a Downing Street garden with cheese and wine.

Nearby was another table of four, and not far away was a larger group standing on the grass around the table with bottles of wine. At that time, the government had informed the public that they could only meet one person in an open public place, two meters apart.

"It's people at work talking about jobs," PM Johnson told the broadcaster when asked about the image, and whether he understood why people are angry and may now be less likely to follow government restrictions in the future, citing Reuters December 21.

While previously reported, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said it was not against the rules, because Downing Street is both PM Johnson's workplace and residence.

"It's definitely not a social gathering, because you have people in work clothes, after the gatherings they have at work," Raab explained to Times Radio.

The opposition Labor Party captured the photo, calling it further proof PM Johnson and his staff are not taking the restrictions they have imposed on others seriously.

"Ask yourself, is a work meeting going on? Or is it a social event? And I think the answer is pretty clear," Labor leader Keir Starmer told reporters.

"During that period it was a people's funeral where very few people could go and mourn those who had tragically died. That's the contrast," Starmer critiqued.

PM Johnson has faced a barrage of criticism since a video emerged showing his staff laughing and joking about a Downing Street party during the 2020 Christmas lockdown when such celebrations were banned.

Dominic Raab said the most recent photo that emerged was taken on a day when the government had just held a press conference, and sometimes staff were drinking in the park after a long day.

In addition to anger at the accused, PM Johnson is grappling with an insurgency within his party over the direction of his government that critics say is chaotic and has dramatically expanded state power.

Most recently, Brexit Minister David Frost resigned on Saturday due to disappointment with the government's directive. Speaking to reporters on Monday, he cited his opposition to "coercive policies" on COVID.