British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces questions about the reported party at Downing Street last year in breach of Covid restrictions
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces questions about the reported party at Downing Street last year in breach of Covid restrictions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing renewed pressure after opinion polls found the PM is doing "badly" in his role as leader of the leading European nation.

The poll by YouGov on Dec. 22 found that 71 percent of British adults believe the PM is performing "badly".

The probe into alleged government parties in breach of the pandemic lockdown and social distancing rules could be expanded after an image showing Johnson, his wife, and 17 staff in the Downing Street garden in May 2020 was leaked.

The leaked picture, front-paged by The Guardian, showed that 19 people were present and there were "spirits and pizza inside and outside the building."

Now differing versions of events have surfaced. According to Johnson, "Those were meetings of people at work, talking about work."

"Downing Street uses that garden as a place of work," Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab asserted. "That's not against the regulations."

The opposition Labour Party alleged that Johnson had not taken the restrictions seriously. "Ask yourself, is that a work meeting going on? Or is that a social event? And I think the answer is pretty obvious," Labour leader Keir Starmer said.

It is not yet confirmed if the garden gathering will be included in the ongoing probe into the alleged parties during the lockdown. However, due to the public anger, it may be included to help remedy public perception of the Conservative Party government.

The event in May 2020 was held when the British public was banned from meeting more than one member of another household while outdoors. Thousands of people in Britain have been fined in 2020 for breaking restrictions.

For days, the prime minister's office has been trying to deny reports that Johnson's staff held a December 2020 office party wine, food, games, and a festive gift exchange.

On Dec. 21 it was found that former cabinet secretary Simon Case withheld information about Christmas gatherings in his own office.

Case stepped down last week as head of the inquiry into Dec 17, 2020, Christmas party in which he is said to have been seen walking around, holding a glass in his hand.

Johnson has been sulking to introduce new Covid restrictions, despite warnings from scientific advisers of a coming wave of infection.

Scientists warned that lack of curbs on social gatherings and travel ahead of the Christmas weekend will result in the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading more fiercely.

The UK reported 90,629 new Covid-19 infections Dec. 21, up by 52 percent compared with the same day last week. With 147,000 deaths in the pandemic, Britain witnessed the second-highest virus death toll in Europe after Russia.

After much dilly-dallying, Johnson Dec. 21 said that he would not introduce any further coronavirus restrictions in England before Christmas.

Johnson's decision not to impose further restrictions was due to objections from the majority of cabinet ministers. Liz Truss, foreign secretary, insisted that there had to be "incontrovertible" data to justify new restrictions. Chancellor Rishi Sunak and education secretary Nadhim Zahawi also stood up against imposing new curbs.

Johnson has also faced rebellion with his Conservative Party.

David Frost, a top Brexit negotiator, Dec. 19 quit because of disillusionment with pandemic decisions.

In an unexpected poll defeat on Dec. 17, the Conservative Party lost the North Shropshire constituency that it has been holding for decades.

Last year, Johnson resisted pressure to sack his then-top aide, Dominic Cummings, for driving while he was hit by COVID-19, in breach of a nationwide "stay-at-home" order. Cummings has left the government later.

In June, Health Secretary Matt Hancock quit for kissing an aide in a government office at a time when curbs forbade physical contacts outside one's own household.

It seems Johnson may await the fate of former PM Margaret Thatcher who lost her job in 1990 after polls showed that the Conservatives were heading for a serious defeat under her leadership.

The earlier garden parties have already ruined 57-year-old Johnson's this year's Christmas party.