Boris Johnson's dad caught without a face mask for the third time in a week
Boris Johnson sits next to his father Stanley (left) on the Bakerloo Line while mayor of London - Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Boris Johnson's father has been caught without a face mask in public for the third time in a week.
Stanley Johnson was pictured at an Underground station reading a newspaper with his mask lowered.
This is the third time the prime minister's father was captured flouting regulations around wearing face masks.
Last Tuesday, Johnson senior was spotted shopping without one and was then caught sitting in an airport lounge with his face covering lowered.
Although no one appears within two meters of Johnson during his latest run-in with the law, he could still face a £200 fine.
Last week, environment minister George Eustice and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt defended Johnson's actions.
You may also want to watch:
"My view is that fines should be reserved for people wilfully and repeatedly breaching the regulations we have in place," Eustice told LBC radio.
"I don't think they're appropriate for people who make innocent areas or an oversight or forget something."
MORE: Television doctor criticises Boris Johnson's father and says he should voluntarily pay fine
Their comments came hours before the prime minister refused to say if his father and Jeremy Corbyn, who was spotted attending a dinner with more than six people, should be fined.
Most Read
- 1 Tory MP blames 'chaotic parents' for children going to school hungry
- 2 Boris Johnson 'hid in bedroom' to avoid grilling on Brexit stance days before becoming PM
- 3 Danny Dyer praised for criticisms of Tory party - pointing out Etonians can't run the country
- 4 UKIP set to select 'Dr Gammons' as candidate for London mayoral election
- 5 Liz Truss' department slammed for false claim about cost of soy sauce after Brexit
- 6 George Osborne says it is 'game over' for Boris Johnson over free school meals
- 7 Third Tory MP who rejected extending free school meals is targeted with local protests
- 8 Boris Johnson warned majority will be 'wiped out' over treatment towards north of England
- 9 Andy Burnham could have been 'halfway through tenure as PM by now', claims commentator
- 10 Piers Morgan calls Boris Johnson a 'blustering buffoon' in attack on PM's handling of Covid-19 pandemic
The prime minister's official spokesman said: "In relation to individuals, it’s for police to determine what action to take.
"What the PM is clear on is the rules apply to everyone and everyone should follow them."
Rule-breakers face a £200 fine which doubles with each infringement to a maximum amount of £6,400.
When Johnson senior was first caught, he told the Mirror, which broke the story, that he was "extremely sorry" for the mistake.
He said: "I’m extremely sorry for the slip up and I would urge absolutely everybody to do everything they can to make sure they do follow the rules about masks and social distancing.”
He said he did not know the rules because he had been out of the country for past three weeks.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
