G7 leaders face hypocrisy accusations; violate social distancing protocol

Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson and other world leaders gathered on a beach in Carbis Bay in the UK Saturday evening for an informal gathering.

Despite having taken a socially distanced photograph at the beginning of the occasion with the Queen, the group seems to have subsequently absconded with following COVID protocol, enjoying dinner alongside one another without any sort of social distancing. Immediately, allegations of hypocrisy began.

Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader and Head of the Opposition in Britain, noted that it was "One rule for them and one rule for the rest of us."

The British Prime Minister's Office denied the event broke protocol rules..

The government's official advice states that: "You should continue to minimise the number of people you meet within a short period of time to limit the risk of spreading coronavirus."

It adds: "If you are meeting friends and family, you can make a personal choice on whether to keep your distance from them, but you should still be cautious." If people break the rules, the police can take action, such as breaking up gatherings or issuing fines - up to a maximum of £6,400.

Those who hold an illegal gathering of more than 50 people outdoors could face a £10,000 fine. "The event last night was done in an entirely Covid-secure way within the existing rules," the prime minister's official spokesman said. "This was an informal gathering of the G7 leaders and rightly it is held in private... but you can see it was a relaxed atmosphere and gave the leaders a chance to discuss outside of a formal setting."