Ex prime minister of UK Boris Johnson criticised over 'Partygate'

When COVID-19 took over the world a few years ago, a video of the former UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, dancing merrily at a party with a few people despite lockdown instructions went viral.

For Johnson, the viral incident set off a series of extremely complicated events.

The European Union is considering a "de-risking rather than decoupling" approach to China, which would restrict overseas funding by European companies to protect sensitive technology from ending up in China's hands. It is also looking to "re-arm the bloc's economy" to reduce its economic reliance on China.

However, the EU needs to balance its economic interests with its political and social values and strike the right balance between protecting its security interests and maintaining a conducive environment for trade and investment.

British MPs have voted to remove ex-prime minister Boris Johnson's parliamentary pass after approving a report that found he lied to parliament about COVID-19 lockdown-breaking parties. The Privileges Committee's findings were approved by 354 votes to seven, with many Conservatives abstaining. 

Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, called the vote a "small but important step in restoring people's trust" in parliament and urged her party to act when one of their own was found wanting. Johnson and his supporters have criticised the report as a "witch hunt," but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the bipartisan committee had done their work thoroughly.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has declined to say how MPs should decide before a vote on a report that found ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson guilty of "repeated contempts (of parliament) and seeking to undermine the parliamentary process."

 Sunak stated that it is a matter for the House rather than the government and that he wouldn't want to influence anyone in advance of the vote. Labour leader Keir Starmer urged Sunak to show leadership and take a stance on the report, accusing Johnson of "miserable misbehaviour." 

The Privileges Committee's report found that Johnson deliberately misled the House, and there is "no precedent for a prime minister having been found to have deliberately misled the House." 

Meanwhile, another video has emerged of Tory officials partying during one lockdown, with government minister Michael Gove apologising for the COVID-19 rule breach.

London's Metropolitan Police is investigating footage from a 2020 Christmas gathering at Conservative headquarters. Two people at the party were recognised on former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's controversial resignation honours list and faced calls to withdraw their names.

Johnson preemptively resigned to avoid a 90-day suspension as an MP, which could have led to a re-election battle. Instead, the Privileges Committee recommended that his parliamentary pass be withdrawn, denying him one privilege normally offered to ex-members.

The UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is now facing four potential by-elections, three of which are linked to fallout from Johnson's honours list. These by-elections may be challenging for Sunak and his party, with the country still in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis.