But he has faced opposition calls for his resignation and was lambasted by media. Johnson apologised for the offence caused by the video, which he said gave the impression that those setting the rules had not been following them. Some of Johnson's lawmakers, though, are unhappy about the new measures which they fear will yet again damage the British economy in the busy pre-Christmas period. Scientific advisers said Britain could face more than 1,000-2,000 Omicron hospitalisations per day if no action was taken - numbers that would swiftly overwhelm the National Health Service and prevent other emergency treatments. Javid said Omicron could result in around 1 million infections across the country by the end of the month if transmission continued at the current rate.
No-one is above the rules, above the law on this," said Javid, who said he was angry and upset by the video of Downing Street staffers joking about how to swerve potential questions from reporters over a lockdown party.īritain acted, he said, after receiving tentative scientific evidence that Omicron is more able to infect people with immunity to COVID-19 and that it was spreading more swiftly than any other variant studied.
But revelations of a series of 2020 Christmas gatherings - which Johnson's spokesman had denied were parties - provoked widespread anger, mockery and disdain due to perceived hypocrisy at the heart of government.Īsked why people - who at the time of the alleged party were prevented from bidding farewell to dying relatives in hospitals - should obey the government, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the rules applied to everyone.