Boris Johnson Is Having His Own 'Let's Go Brandon' Moment

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems to be experiencing his own "Let's Go Brandon" moment as his Conservative government faces public anger over alleged breaches of COVID-19 regulations last year.

Supporters at a recent Premier League football match and the audience watching the World Darts Championship expressed their frustration with the prime minister through chants that quickly garnered widespread attention on social media.

Those chants are reminiscent of the recent phenomenon of "Let's Go Brandon" chants directed at President Joe Biden and widely understood to mean "F*** Joe Biden" following an incident at a NASCAR race.

Johnson's government is currently embroiled in allegations that staff at 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education held social events, including Christmas parties, that were in violation of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020.

On Saturday, fans attending a Premier League match between Arsenal and Leeds United were recorded chanting "Boris Johnson is a c***."

A Twitter video of the chanting, which took place at Elland Road stadium in Leeds, has now been viewed more than 840,000 times.

On Monday, attendees at the 2022 World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London were recorded chanting "Stand up if you hate Boris" as the competitors played.

One man at the World Darts Championship was photographed carrying a handwritten sign that said "All round to Boris's after"—a reference to the parties that allegedly broke COVID rules.

A video posted to Twitter of chants at the darts event has now been viewed more than 830,000 times.

A photo has also emerged of Johnson and others, including his wife Carrie Johnson and then Health Secretary Matt Hancock, attending what appeared to be a garden party at Downing Street with wine and cheese in May, 2020.

At that time, social mixing was limited to just two households, but at least 19 people could be seen in the photo. People from two households were only permitted to meet outdoors and at a social distance of 6 feet. That did not appear to be the case in the image featuring the British prime minister.

Johnson ordered a civil service inquiry into the allegations, but the person initially put in charge of that inquiry, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, stepped down on Friday amid allegations he had attended drinks with up to 20 staff in his office in December last year, also allegedly in violation of COVID rules. The inquiry is now proceeding under senior civil servant Sue Gray.

The prime minister's "Let's Go Brandon" moment could be set to continue following what may be the most difficult period of his premiership so far. Last Thursday, the Conservative Party lost a by-election in a constituency the Tories had held for almost 200 years, while the government's chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, resigned from the role on Monday.