Darts fans took aim at Boris Johnson at the sport’s biggest event with hostile chants and signs mocking the British government over alleged lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street.
Crowds were heard shouting: “Stand up if you hate Boris” in unison as they packed out Alexandra Palace in London at the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship on Monday.
One spectator held up a picture of cheese and wine with the message: “This is a business meeting”, while another waved a sign reading: “All round to Boris’s after.”
Many fans dressed in costumes for the event, including a group wearing masks that showed the faces of Mr Johnson, home secretary Priti Patel, former Downing Street aide Dominic Cummings and the ex-health secretary Matt Hancock.
Negative chants about the British prime minister were later heard in videos widely shared on social media, during the match between James Wade and Maik Kuivenhoven.
‘Stand up if you hate Boris!’
Wow. Darts fans making their feelings very clear about the ‘Man of the People’ Prime Minister… 😳 pic.twitter.com/T4U8pUix37— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 21, 2021
It came after a photograph emerged of Mr Johnson, his staff and his then-fiancee, Carrie Johnson, sitting round a table with cheese and wine in the No 10 garden during Britain's first national lockdown.
The picture, which Downing Street said shows a work meeting, has sparked further accusations of parties being held across government during periods when London was under tight Covid restrictions on social gatherings.
‘Covid spreading on steroids’
Public health experts have warned that the tournament, which is expected to draw more than 80,000 attendees between Wednesday, December 15th and Monday, January 3rd, is “Covid spreading on steroids”.
Professor Keith Neil, a public health expert at the University of Nottingham, said the event risks worsening the spread of the virus in the capital.
“It is Covid spreading on steroids,” he said. “There is no concept of social distancing and they will not be wearing masks because they are drinking.”
Organisers of the tournament have confirmed that fans must show a Covid pass demonstrating their Covid status in order to gain entry to the venue.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Johnson was accused of “ducking difficult decisions” after he held back from tightening Covid rules in England before Christmas despite fears the health service could be overwhelmed.
Following a special two-hour Cabinet meeting, Mr Johnson said he had to “reserve the possibility” that further action would be needed at some point to curb the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
However, he said there were still “uncertainties” around the severity of the new strain, as well as the rate of hospital admissions associated with it.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Johnson was “too weak” to stand up to backbenchers, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said “ducking the difficult decisions is not a plan”.
Mr Johnson said the arguments for taking action against Omicron were “very, very finely balanced” and that his government is keeping the data under “constant review”.
