Main content

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak fined over lockdown parties

Both defy calls to quit

Boris Johnson has been fined by the police for attending a birthday party thrown for him during a Covid lockdown. The prime minister confirmed he had paid the fixed penalty notice for going to the hour-long gathering in the Cabinet Room on 19 June 2020. Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the PM's wife were also fined for the same event, and confirmed they had paid. All three apologised for attending, but neither Mr Johnson or Mr Sunak offered to resign. Opposition parties are calling for the Commons, which is currently on Easter recess, to be recalled.

We take a look at S茫o Tom茅 and Pr铆ncipe, a country on the sharp end of climate change - the 主播大秀's Tamasin Ford, interviews its president, Carlos Vila Nova who wants the world to do more than just talk. We also hear how the island - the entirety of which is a massive volcano - is home to lush, tropical rainforest and some of the most important biodiversity in Africa; Pr铆ncipe is a UNESCO biosphere because of its unique environment. But despite being breathtakingly beautiful, it鈥檚 poor with the smallest economy on the continent and around 90% of its budget comes from foreign donors, topped up by tourism - we hear how the pandemic has affected this vital part of the economy. Perhaps the biggest threat to the nation though is rising sea levels; in S茫o Tom茅 and Princip茅, 4% of the land mass has already been lost to the Atlantic Ocean with entire houses being washed away; Tamasin visits one in Princip茅. The country is already doing what it can - more than two thirds of the islands are protected national parks and by the end of this year the government hopes to have written into law the country鈥檚 first ever marine protected areas, but will it be enough?

PHOTO: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Tue 12 Apr 2022 21:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Tue 12 Apr 2022 21:32GMT