U.K. PM Johnson faces crunch day in parliament after party revelation
CTV
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have to fight on Wednesday to defend his premiership after it was revealed a 'bring your own booze' gathering was held at his official residence during the first coronavirus lockdown.
Opposition lawmakers have called for Johnson to resign and some in his own Conservative Party have said he should quit if he is found to have broken strict laws his government brought in to prevent the spread of the virus.
Johnson, who swept to power in 2019 on a promise to secure Britain's exit from the European Union, has so far refused to say whether he attended the gathering in Downing Street on May 20, 2020.
"His survival is in the balance at the moment," said one senior Conservative lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
"He has got to make a clean breast. I usually find that if you make your apologies, it defuses the issue. Can't have it hanging on," said the lawmaker.
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart in avoiding "miscalculations and misunderstandings."