Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused opponents of forcing him out of Parliament with an inquiry into whether he misled lawmakers about parties at 10 Downing Street during the pandemic. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was standing down as a member of Parliament on Friday after confidentially receiving the Partygate report. Johnson accused opponents of trying to drive him out of Parliament. The former British premier said the "letter from the Privileges Committee make it clear — much to my amazement — that they are determind to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament." He added it "is very sad to be leaving Parliament — at least for now — but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out." Johnson says not a 'shred of evidence' he misled lawmakers Johnson added in his statement Friday that the inquiry has "not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons." Johnson said the committee investigating the scandal was out to get him, saying that their "purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts". The committee will produce the report in the next few weeks.  What was 'Partygate'? In May 2022, an internal investigation following media reports of multiple gatherings at government buildings during the pandemic revealed the gatherings should never have taken place. The report by senior civil servant Sue Gray laid out how many of those gatherings were held, including describing parties that went on into the early hours, with music from a karaoke machine.  Gray published photographs of Johnson toasting staff with wine.  All the gatherings took place between 2020 and 2021 — when the UK was under lockdown rules that were put in place by Johnson's government. After the media reports first emerged in December 2021, Johnson repeatedly assured lawmakers that he and his staff had always followed the rules. That turned out to be wrong, Johnson later acknowledged in testimony before Parliament in March this year. But he said it was "what I honestly believed at the time."  His resignation now triggers a special election to replace him as a lawmaker for a suburban London seat. Johnson won the general election in 2019 in a landslide after delivering a Brexit deal, but was forced to resign from office in 2022. A string of scandals, including the illegal lockdown parties, engulfed his time as premier.

Under the new "Atlantic Declaration," the US and the UK will work to boost supply chains and investment, the two leaders said, as they boasted the strength of their ties. US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met in the White House on Thursday for wide-ranging talks. The two leaders have had four face-to-face meetings since Sunak became prime minister in October, but Thursday's talks mark his first White House visit as British premier.  The pair sought to demonstrate that the relations between their two countries were as strong as ever, even after recent political and economic turmoil in London, with Sunak being the third British prime minister that Biden has dealt with since he took office in 2021.  What was on the agenda? Biden and Sunak discussed economic partnership, artificial intelligence safety, Northern Ireland and joint economic and security interests. The US president said they also discussed their "unwavering support" for the people of Ukraine in their fight against the Russian invasion.  "The UK and the US together with more than 50 partners have committed historic levels of security assistance to Ukraine," Biden said after the talks. London and Washington are two of the biggest donors to Ukraine, and they play a central role in a long-term, recently announced effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. After their meeting, the two leaders held a joint conference — an opportunity not always granted to world leaders visiting the White House.  What is the Atlantic Declaration?  Biden and Sunak adopted the so-called Atlantic Declaration, which is aimed at boosting industry ties on defense and renewable energy, in the face of growing competition from China. "We face new challenges to international stability — from authoritarian states such as Russia and the People's Republic of China; disruptive technologies; non-state actors; and transnational challenges like climate change," the declaration read. Under the plan, the two countries will work to strengthen their supply chains and invest in one another's industries. Asked if the declaration constitutes a "failure" to strike a long-sought free trade agreement, Sunak insisted that "the economic relationship between our two countries has never been stronger."  Sunak said the agreement would support tens of thousands of small businesses in the UK to avoid unnecessary red tape when working with a US market.   Trip to 'bang the drum for Britain' Sunak said he met with "CEO's of America's leading companies" as part of his trip. "I'm in Washington DC to bang the drum for Britain," he wrote on Twitter. Shortly before leaving for Washington, Sunak announced that several US companies were making $17 billion (€15.7 billion) in new economic investments in the UK. He was also expected to try to talk up British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace as a candidate to replace NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, whose term in the job is due to end in October. Biden, whose vote could be decisive, has so far not given any indications of whom he supports. Asked after the talks if it was time NATO had a British chief, Biden said: "Maybe. That remains to be seen. We will have to get a consensus within NATO."  Sunak arrived in Washington on Wednesday and began his two-day trip by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The British leader met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and several business leaders and attended a Washington Nationals baseball game.

Britain has struck a deal to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), its biggest trade deal after Brexit.   The UK has reached an agreement to join a major trans-Pacific trade pact, in the nation's biggest trade deal since Brexit.   Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday made the announcement to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), making Britain the first new member since the creation of the bloc in 2018 and also the first European country in the trade grouping.   "Joining the CPTPP trade bloc puts the UK at the center of a dynamic and growing group of Pacific economies," Sunak said in a statement, adding that the deal demonstrated "the real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms."   UK seeks trade ties with fast-growing economies   The CPTPP is the successor to a previous trans-Pacific trade pact that the United States withdrew from in 2017 under former President Donald Trump.   The bloc currently has 11 members, including Japan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.   According to Sunak's office, once Britain becomes the 12th member, the bloc will comprise of more than 500 million people and account for about 15% of global GDP.   The deal comes after nearly two years of intense talks as the UK looks to turn towards geographically distant but fast-growing economies in its bid to build global trade relations following its exit from the European Union.   Britain has till now struck pacts with far-flung allies, including Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, while it is in talks with India and Canada.   But a prized deal with Washington still remains a distant prospect.

Lancashire police have asked a "42-year-old man from London" to pay a small fine for a social media video in which he is not wearing a seat belt. They were referring to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. British police issued Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a fine on Friday evening for riding in a car without a seat belt in a video clip that Sunak's team had published on social media. Sunak's spokesperson had apologized the previous day for a "brief error of judgment" after people had noticed and criticized the indiscretion published on Sunak's Instagram account.  Wearing a seat belt in cars is mandatory in almost all circumstances in the UK, also in the back seats. Sunak's spokesperson said the prime minister had only removed the belt for the purposes of recording the video, in which he can be seen twisting towards the camera. Police from the county of Lancashire in northwest England, where Sunak's car was at the time, did not name the prime minister in their initial announcement, although they gave his age and place of residence. "Following the circulation of a video on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire we have today (Friday, Jan 20) issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of a fixed penalty," police said.  The conditional offer of a fixed penalty phrasing means that the individual fined has an offer to pay and implicitly accept guilt within 28 days, but as a trade-off they pay much less than the maximum fine and do not risk going court to answer the case. It tends to be the standard penalty issued in such cases.  Sunak 'will of course comply' with penalty Sunak was fined 50 pounds (around €57 or $62), one tenth of the theoretical maximum fee for not wearing a seat belt if taking the case to court. Soon after, Sunak's office said in a statement that "the prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologized. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty." The case had prompted criticism from opposition politicians, with Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner calling Sunak "a total liability." But a Conservative MP from Lancashire, Scott Benton, said he was "sure" that Lancashire police's "time is better spent investigating serious crime which impacts on my constituents." He called the complaints politically motivated. Sunak was also one of roughly 50 people, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who received a fixed penalty notice last April for attending a birthday party for Johnson at 10 Downing Street in June 2020, in defiance of the government's own rules on social distancing during the COVID pandemic. This "partygate" scandal and others helped set the wheels in motion that ultimately led to Johnson's resignation last July.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the case was "appalling," calling for London's police forces to root out misconduct and restore public trust. It's the latest scandal to tarnish the image of the Metropolitan Police. An active-duty London police officer on Monday admitted his responsibility in a nearly two decade-long campaign of abuse against women. The 48-year-old man pleaded guilty to 49 offenses, including 20 counts of rape. The charges against him also included assault and false imprisonment.   It was the latest case to plague London's Metropolitan Police (Met), which has suffered from a collapse in public confidence due to its handling of problematic cops.  Prosecutors said officer David Carrick used his position of power to control and intimidate his victims, telling them no one would believe their word against his, given his status as a member of the police. "This man abused women in the most disgusting manner. It is sickening," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement.  The case drew a wave of condemnation across Britain. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the case "appalling."   "Police forces must root out these officers to restore the public's trust, which has been shattered by high profile events such as this," Sunak's spokesman said.   Carrick's abuse was 'relentless,' top prosecutor says  Carrick joined the Met in 2001 and has been charged for events that took place between 2003 and 2020.   He allegedly met some of his victims through online dating apps or on social occasions, using his position as a police officer to gain their trust, authorities said.  Chief Crown Prosecutor Jaswant Narwal said he then "relentlessly degraded, belittled, sexually assaulted and raped women."  Carrick isolated women socially and financially, and often held them against their will, going as far as controlling what they wore and when they slept, prosecutors said.   The case follows the high-profile death of Sarah Everard on March 2021 in south London. Everard was raped and killed by on-duty officer Wayne Couzens, after he stopped her on the street and falsely claimed she had broken coronavirus lockdown rules.  London police: 'We have failed'  London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whose office oversees the police departments, said he was "sickened and appalled" by the case.  "Londoners will be rightly shocked that this man was able to work for the Met for so long and serious questions must be answered about how he was able to abuse his position as an officer in this horrendous manner," he added.  Met Commissioner Rowley apologized to victims on Monday, saying Carrick went unpunished due to "systemic failures."  "We have failed. And I'm sorry. He should not have been a police officer," Rowley said.  An in-depth review of Carrick's former service as a soldier and complaints record was carried out in October 2021, after he was first charged with rape, and it found he was already on police systems for a series of off-duty incidents before and after he joined the force.  None of those complaints of rape, domestic violence and harassment managed to deliver criminal sanctions or internal disciplinary proceedings.  The Met "should have been more intrusive and joined the dots on this repeated misogyny over a couple of decades" and "should have been more determined to root out such a misogynist," Rowley admitted.  Met Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray admitted that the pattern of abusive behavior should have been spotted earlier.  "Because we didn't, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organization," Gray said. "We are truly sorry that Carrick was able to continue to use his role as a police officer to prolong the suffering of his victims," she added.  A report published last November found that a culture of misogyny and predatory behavior was "prevalent" in many police forces in England and Wales. The findings indicated that lax vetting standards for police officers played a role.

London said the law to allow sexual transitioning upon self-declaration would have a wider impact on equalities laws in Great Britain. The move could trigger tension with Scotland's nationalist administration. The British government announced on Monday it will use for the first time its veto power to stop a law passed by the Scottish devolved parliament which allows transgender people to self-declare their gender. The Scottish parliament passed the controversial bill last month, amid some resistance within Scotland. It lowers the age for recognizing transgender people from 18 to 16 and scraps a medical certification requirement. Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack however said on Monday that the administration of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would block the bill, an unprecedented move since the Scottish parliament was established in 1999. Why is London blocking the bill? Jack said in a statement that the decision to block the bill was based on its legal implications for the entire Great Britain. He said it would particularly impact equalities matters. "I have not taken this decision lightly," he said, adding that he acknowledged that the process transgender people go through to change their legal gender deserves respect, support and understanding. If passed, the bill would set Scotland apart from England and Wales, where transgender people are not allowed in same-sex spaces. Opponents of the controversial law, in Scotland and beyond, argue it would grant predatory men access to female-only spaces. Meanwhile, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had famously described the current process of sexual transitioning as "intrusive, traumatic and dehumanizing." How could this veto escalate? The law the Scottish parliament is attempting to pass has been implemented in other countries worldwide, including Ireland, Denmark and Argentina. The Spanish parliament also approved a similar bill last month.  Scotland's First Minister Sturgeon continued to defend the bill, threatening to challenge London's decision at the UK's top court. In a tweet on Monday, Sturgeon, who faced unprecedented opposition within Scotland over the very same bill, described the veto as a "full-frontal attack on our democratically elected Scottish parliament and its ability to make its own decision on devolved matters." The Scottish first minister warned that this precedent to veto a Scottish parliament bill could be "the first of many." The potential legal showdown follows a tense phase in Scottish government relations with the UK government. It comes barely two months after the UK Supreme Court blocked efforts by Sturgeon's ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) to hold a new independence referendum.

The St. Edward's Crown has been taken out of the Tower of London to be modified for the coronation ceremony next year. Charles became the UK's reigning monarch following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth. The St. Edward's Crown has been moved to an undisclosed location for modification in preparation for the coronation of King Charles III next year, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday. The 17th-century crown is the centerpiece of the Crown Jewels, displayed at the Tower of London and annually visited by more than a million visitors. The crown has a purple velvet cap with an ermine band and is encrusted with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines. It is just over 30 cm (12 inches) long and has a 2.23-kilogram (4.9-pound) solid gold frame. The history of the crown Versions of St. Edward's Crown are believed to have been used by monarchs since the 11th century. The current version was made for Charles II in 1661 as a replacement for the original, which was melted down in 1649 after the House of Commons abolished the monarchy and declared a commonwealth during the English Civil War. The original is believed to have dated back to Edward the Confessor, who reigned in 1042-1066. The crown was last worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953. It will now be worn by King Charles III at his coronation on May 6. He will only wear it at the moment he is crowned.  After the coronation, Charles will wear the Imperial State Crown, created in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI. The coronation takes place a few months after the ascension of a new sovereign, after a period of mourning and preparations. Charles became the reigning monarch after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on September 8. She reigned for 70 years. Charles also became head of state of 14 Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. He has reportedly requested a less lavish ceremony due to concerns about public perception.