The Prime Minister and Chancellor were both handed fines this week for their involvement in parties at Downing Street which broke Covid guidelines.

Many in the country have demanded the two resign from their positions, whilst others believe they should remain in their jobs.

Readers of The Oldham Times were posed with the question of whether or not Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak should quit their roles on social media, and there was a fairly even split on opinions amongst those who responded.

Some felt the two had to resign after not following the rules the government had set.

Mark Simpson commented: "If Boris Johnson had a shred of integrity, he would resign."

Another commenter, Yvonne Ryan, took issue with the fact she had abided by the rules at a personal cost whereas the PM and Chancellor did not.

She said they were "hypocrites" and that she had not seen her family over an 18-month period while rules were in place.

She wrote: "One rule for these another rule for us."

Another reader, Lizzie Mirza, said Mr Johnson had to go as this was the latest scandal to his name, adding that "he should have been pushed [out] years ago".

However, there were many who felt there was no point in forcing them to resign and that the British public should move on.

Juli Charlton defended the two by saying she did not know any other people who lost their jobs for not following Covid guidelines.

She wrote: "I don't know anyone else who lost their job because they broke lockdown rules, with the state of the world at the moment its time to move on and stop being so judgemental."

Some felt there was little to gain from dwelling on the situation, such as Jason Needham, who simply said: "Pay the fine and move on."

Another commenter, Phil Starr, said he did not believe they should lose their jobs and that he had more of an issue with plots to remove people from their positions.

He commented: "Love or loathe a politician, I loathe even more secret plots to manipulate people out of office, or to threaten them in that way."

The conversation over whether Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak should quit for breaking the law by breaking lockdown rules has split opinions in Oldham, with some saying they should be held to account, while others would rather move on and leave it in the past.