Former British PM Boris Johnson Will Be Questioned By Police For Alleged Violations Of COVID-19 Rules, Accept Guests At Chequers

Boris Johnson. (Wikimedia Commons/Pal magiccio do Plan to pass)

JAKARTA - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was referred to the police regarding possible violations of regional quarantine regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic, an allegation described by his office as "other politically motivated efforts".

The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for overseeing the administration, said it had made referrals to the police based on information found while preparing a proposal for a public investigation into the pandemic.

The Times newspaper, which first reported the news on Tuesday, said Johnson's daily books showed visits during the pandemic by their friends to Chequers, a rural house used as the official residence of the prime ministers.

The Cabinet Office confirmed it had provided information to police, "according to obligations in the civil service code".

Both the London Metropolitan Police and the Thames Valley Police, the police covering the area around Chequers, said they were reviewing the information, which relates to potential violations of health protection regulations between June 2020 and May 2021.

Boris Johnson, who left the post of prime minister due to a party scandal during the COVID-19 quarantine at his office and residence, Downing Street 10, opposed the latest allegations and said the statement was baseless.

"The Cabinet Office's statement that there had been further violations of the COVID-19 rules is completely untrue. Lawyers have examined the events in question and assessed it in accordance with the law," his office said in a statement.

"Many will conclude that this has all the characteristics of other politically motivated efforts," he continued.

Earlier, a Johnson spokesperson said some "abbreviated entries" in the former prime minister's official textbook were asked by the Cabinet Office in preparation for a UK COVID investigation, but had been handled by his lawyer.

This is a further blow to Johnson, who is still seen by some in the ruling Conservative Party, as the vote winner who may return to the highest position in Britain.

Previously, Johnson was fined by police for attending an event to celebrate his Downing Street birthday in June 2020, making him the first prime minister to be proven to have violated the law while in office.

However, he also remains supported by several Conservative Party members, who feel he is still their best hope for power, a factor that sparked divisions within the party before the general election which is expected to take place next year.

Johnson himself is known to be still being investigated by parliamentary committees, regarding whether he intentionally or unintentionally misled the House of Commons over the so-called 'partygate'. The former prime minister told the Special Rights Committee there was no evidence that he intentionally misled MPs.

Johnson's office stated that the Cabinet Office's move was "the final attempt... to extend the investigation of the Special Rights Committee as it has come to a conclusion and to undermine it, that gatherings in Chequers are under regulations held outdoors or protected by exceptions.

"Pengacara Johnson malam ini telah menulis surat kepada kepolisian yang terkait, untuk menjelaskan secara bencerangan mengapa Kantor Kabinet sepenuhnya salah dalam pernyataannya," sebut kantornya.