British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to resign after being fined for breaking his government's pandemic lockdown rules, saying he would instead redouble efforts to strengthen the economy and combat Russian aggression in Ukraine.
London police fined Johnson and other people Tuesday for attending a birthday party thrown for the prime minister at his Downing Street offices on June 19, 2020. The penalty made Johnson the first British prime minister ever found to have broken the law while in office.
Opposition lawmakers demanded Johnson's resignation, arguing the fines given to him and Treasury chief Rishi Sunak were evidence of "criminality" at the heart of government. The opposition argued that the Downing Street gathering demonstrated that Johnson and his supporters believe the rules don't apply to them.
His supporters are already arguing that whatever the prime minister may have done wrong, now is not time for a leadership contest.