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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 8 February 2022
Boris Johnson reboots office in bid to move past ‘partygate’

By JILL LAWLESS personal wrongdoing and
Associated Press pledged to fix the problems
LONDON (AP) — Boris John- in his office. But on Friday
son has brought in new se- he was rocked by the de-
nior staffers as he tries to re- parture of five senior staff,
store his flagging authority including his chief of staff,
including a communica- his communications direc-
tions chief who insisted the tor and his policy director,
British prime minister is “not Munira Mirza. Mirza, a loyal
a total clown.” longtime aide, stood by
The prime minister hired the prime minister amid the
Guto Harri, an aide from “partygate” revelations.
his days as London mayor But she said Johnson’s
who has recently been “scurrilous accusation” this
critical of Johnson, to try to week that an opposition
regain control of the gov- leader had failed to stop
ernment’s messaging after a notorious pedophile was
weeks of turmoil that have the final straw.
led some in the ruling Con- Johnson responded to the
servatives to call for his re- departures with a Down-
moval. He also appointed ing Street shakeup that in-
a senior Cabinet minister, cluded the eye-catching
Steve Barclay, as his new appointment of Harri, a
chief of staff. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right and Chancellor of the Exchequeur Rishi Sunak, visit the former BBC journalist who
Visiting a hospital cancer Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone Hospital in Maidstone, Kent, England, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. worked for Johnson at City
center Monday outside Associated Press Hall from 2008 to 2012 but
London, Johnson said he has more recently criticized
was “focused completely” is for the government to fo- ties, birthday celebrations In an interim report last him.
on clearing a backlog of cus, not on stuff going on and “wine time Fridays” in week into the four parties In 2018, Harri called John-
millions of medical proce- at (the government district 2020 and 2021 while mil- not under criminal inves- son “sexually incontinent,”
dures built up during the of) Westminster, but to fo- lions in Britain were barred tigation, Gray found that and in 2020 he said gov-
pandemic. It’s one of a pile cus on life ... beyond West- from meeting with friends “failures of leadership and ernment communications
of critical issues, including minster, and to focus on and family because of his judgment” enabled events during the pandemic had
a squeeze on household the needs of the country,” government’s COVID-19 to occur that “should not been “a masterclass in in-
finances from inflation and Johnson said. “And that is restrictions. have been allowed to take competence.” Last month
a looming tax hike, that are what we’re doing.” A total of 16 parties have place” and described a Harri said reports of parties
being overshadowed by Johnson’s grip on power been investigated by a se- Downing Street opera- in Downing Street while Brit-
scandal over lockdown- has been shaken by public nior civil servant, Sue Gray, tion marked by excessive ain was in lockdown were
breaching government anger over revelations that with a dozen of them also drinking and dysfunctional “unforgivable,” though
parties. his staff held “bring your under investigation by the dynamics. Johnson apolo- also “understandable in
“I think what people want own booze” office par- Metropolitan Police. gized without admitting some ways.” q

Belarus to send 200 troops to Syria alongside Russians

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV under operational control 2015, teaming up with Iran The planned deployment sian nuclear weapons.
Associated Press of the Russian military in to help Syrian President of Belarusian troops’ to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya,
MOSCOW (AP) — Belarus Syria when deployed to the Bashar Assad’s govern- Syria reflects increasingly the main opposition chal-
plans to deploy up to 200 country. ment reclaim control over close defense ties between lenger to Lukashenko who
troops to Syria to serve Russia has waged a military most of the country after a the two ex-Soviet neighbors was forced to leave the
alongside Russian forces campaign in Syria since devastating civil war. and allies. country after Lukashenko’s
in the country, according In recent weeks, Russia has re-election to a sixth term
to a Russian government moved troops from Siberia in an August 2020 vote that
document released Mon- and the Far East to Belarus the opposition and the
day, a move strongly con- for sweeping joint drills. The West saw as rigged, strong-
demned by Belarus’ oppo- deployment added to the ly criticized the deal for
sition leader. Russian military buildup sending Belarusian troops
A draft agreement be- near Ukraine, fueling West- to Syria.
tween Russia and its ally ern fears of a possible inva- She described the move as
Belarus endorsed by Rus- sion. Lukashenko’s payback for
sian Prime Minister Mikhail Belarus’ authoritarian lead- Moscow’s support, arguing
Mishustin says that the Be- er Alexander Lukashenko, that it violates the country’s
larusian troops will work to who has increasingly relied constitution and runs con-
provide “humanitarian as- on the Kremlin’s political trary to the national inter-
sistance” to the population and financial support amid ests.
outside combat zones. bruising Western sanctions “Lukashenko is paying with
The document, which is triggered by his crackdown Belarus’ sovereignty for
yet to be signed by the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, right, and Belarusian on domestic protests, has the support he received in
Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, centre, attend meeting with
countries’ foreign and de- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, in Minsk, Belarus, called for closer defense 2020 that helped him stay
fense ministries, states that Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. ties with Moscow and re- in power,” Tsikhanouskaya
Belarusian troops will act Associated Press cently offered to host Rus- told The Associated Press.q