U.K.'s Boris Johnson survived another round of calls for his resignation

U.K.'s Boris Johnson survived another round of calls for his resignation

Transcript¹

There were calls for the prime minister to resign following a report on parties his government threw when events like that were banned because of COVID. Johnson meets Tuesday with Ukraine's president.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is still hanging on to his office, though a report on Johnson's COVID lockdown parties inspired new calls for his resignation yesterday. Meanwhile, the British government is inserting itself squarely in the middle of Russia's potential invasion of Ukraine. It is preparing legislation that targets Russian oligarchs in London. And Boris Johnson is traveling to Ukraine today to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. I asked NPR's London correspondent, Frank Langfitt, what Johnson hopes to achieve with that visit.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE²: Well, I think partly, first, it's symbolic³. It's a show of support for Ukraine from a key NATO member. And last night, Johnson said this - he said, quote, "the U.K. will continue to uphold Ukraine's sovereignty in the face of those who seek to destroy it." And he's urging Russia to step back from mass troop deployments on Ukraine's borders we've been discussing. Russia says it has no plans to invade. The U.K. government has also trained about 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2015, and it says it's going to spend 120 million to fight corruption⁴, which is a huge problem in Ukraine, and strengthen the rule of law there.

FADEL: London is a haven⁵ for Russian oligarchs and Russian money.

LANGFITT: Yes, it is.

FADEL: How does the British government plan to apply pressure here?

LANGFITT: I think what you may see - the government is talking about the possibility of travel bans and asset seizures⁶. I mean, a lot of Russian oligarchs, as well as other wealthy people around the world, they stash⁷ their money in expensive residences here, neighborhoods like Belgravia, Chelsea, Kensington. The residences often actually sit dark and empty. And it's given the British capital the nickname Londongrad. Now, Liz Truss - she's the foreign secretary - she says the new legislation will allow the government to target anybody who's providing strategic support to Putin. And this is what she said yesterday in Britain's House of Commons.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LIZ TRUSS: Those in and around the Kremlin will have nowhere to hide.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUSS: We will make sure that those who share responsibility for the Kremlin's aggressive and destabilizing action will share in bearing a heavy cost. Their assets in the U.K. will be frozen.

FADEL: Wait a second. We just heard parliamentarians laughing there.

LANGFITT: You did. Exactly.

FADEL: Yeah. Explain.

LANGFITT: Because there's so much skepticism about it.

FADEL: Right.

LANGFITT: I mean, Russian money has been washing around here really since the fall of the Soviet⁸ Union. And there are already laws on the books, but enforcement, Leila, has been a really big problem, and that's because London is so reliant on gray money. It helps drive the real estate market here, the high-end real estate market, provides a lot of works for banks in the city of London. It even helps fund soccer clubs. Chatham House - that's the well-known London think tank here - had a report out last month, and the quote was - at the top was "little has been done in practice to prevent kleptocratic wealth and political agendas from entering Britain."

FADEL: Now, we can't talk about Johnson without talking about...

LANGFITT: No (laughter).

FADEL: ...How just yesterday, he survived another round of calls for his resignation following a report on parties his government threw when events like that were banned because of COVID-19. What did the report say?

LANGFITT: Well, the report actually was incredibly thin on details, and that's because the police are investigating 12 of these gatherings⁹, and they're saying, oh, we don't want you to prejudice our investigation¹⁰, which frankly¹¹ doesn't make sense to many lawyers here in London. Among these gatherings the prime minister attended - reportedly attended three of them. And the report would only say - really, it cited what it called failures of leadership. We will - I think there'll be more details to come. Opposition¹² lawmakers again demanding Johnson's resignation. The prime minister remained defiant¹³ yesterday, refusing to step down. And I think - honestly, having watched this very closely, I think he can hang on for a time - for the time being. And he said yesterday the country needs to focus on the really big issues like Ukraine, which is, of course, Leila, exactly what he's doing today.

FADEL: NPR's Frank Langfitt. Thank you.

LANGFITT: Happy to do it, Leila.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

6 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

7 stash   

v.藏或贮存于一秘密处所；n.隐藏处

参考例句：

• Stash away both what you lost and gained,for life continues on.将得失深藏心底吧，为了那未来的生活。
• That's supposed to be in our private stash.这是我的私人珍藏。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。