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LONDON – Who let the dog out? Apparently it was British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and this has led to a very British scandal known to some as “Dog Gate”.
It started quite harmlessly. A video surfaced on TikTok over the weekend that appears to show the British leader strolling through one of London’s most popular parks with his family and their red fox Labrador, Nova. But as the video noted, something was wrong with the scenic scene. Sunak and Nova were in an area where park rules strictly require dogs to be kept on a leash to protect the swans and ducks nearby, and Nova roamed freely.
In many other countries, this is likely to be viewed as a minor, no-laugh incident. But this is Britain, where people can take breaking rules very seriously, especially when those in power break the rules. It means the police were involved and it has become a hot topic of discussion in the media and among politicians.
“We are aware of video of a dog being unleashed in Hyde Park,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement to the British press. “An officer who was present at the time spoke to a woman and reminded her of the rules. The dog was put back on the leash.” The incident appeared to offend many British sensibilities, and one Briton went on to complain social media about it being “one rule for us, another rule for them”.
Leading the country after years of political turmoil was no easy feat for Sunak. His government has been under pressure on several fronts this year, including over a controversial proposed asylum policy, historic strikes by inflation-hit British workers and ethical investigations into members of his party.
Yet it is often the incidents of isolated, and perhaps more comprehensible, cases of rule-breaking that have drawn the nation’s attention. On Wednesday, social media users alluded to previous times Sunak was in hot water, including in January when he was fined by police after a video showed him riding in a vehicle, without using his seatbelt, and last year when he was fined for attending parties at 10 Downing Street in breach of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
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The British attitude towards breaking rules, particularly rules that are seen as part of a social contract, can be harsh. Jumping ahead in line is considered a crime by many. Similarly, research into social attitudes suggests that just 31 per cent of Brits disagree with the statement: “The law should always be obeyed, even when a particular law is wrong.” And opinions about rule-breaking politicians can be particularly hard. The same 2021 poll found that 67 percent agreed there was “one law for the rich and one for the poor.”
Downing Street said it would not comment on the latest footage, Sky News reported, as a spokesman for the Prime Minister told reporters: “I will not comment on the filming of the Prime Minister’s family and private individuals. You can see the video, it speaks for itself.” But critics from Sunak and the Conservative Party in general have seized upon the incident to portray the prime minister as elitist and outspoken.
Speaking on a UK radio station on Wednesday, an editor for the Daily Mirror, a left-leaning tabloid, told the show’s host that Sunak “simply seems unaware of the rules, regulations and laws around him”. “Lock down parties, seat belts and now dog leashes!” lawmakers David Lamy from the opposition Labor Party tweeted on Tuesday. “Why does @RishiSunak Do you think our laws never apply to him?”
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Hundreds of people left comments on TikTok criticizing Sunak for not following the rule book. “Rules for you, not for me,” one person wrote. “Forget he’s supposed to lead by example…again,” wrote another. Meanwhile, an amused Brit told local radio that the incident was a good metaphor for how Sunak was able to fight to keep members of his own party, including his colorful predecessor, in line.
“If Rishi Sunak can’t keep his own dog on a leash, how is he supposed to keep the big dog Boris Johnson on a leash?” the caller asked, letting the radio host chuckle. Sunak has professed to be a dog lover in the past, saying that while getting a dog wasn’t his idea, Nova is the “best thing that’s happened to our family in a long time.”