Johnson’s Regret, Biden’s Vote Setback: Political Week in Photos

After U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered an apology in Parliament for attending a party at his Downing Street office during the first pandemic lockdown, his fate hung in the balance as anger brewed in his ruling Conservative party.

Joe Biden’s bid for a change in U.S. Senate procedures to allow a simple majority to pass voting-rights legislation appeared in jeopardy after a key Democrat expressed opposition to the plan. The president said the bill is needed to thwart Republican-backed state election laws that he called a threat to American democracy. 

Talks this week on Moscow’s demands for security guarantees from the U.S. and its allies are at “a dead end,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, stepping up pressure on the West as tensions over the Russian troop buildup on the Ukraine border show little signs of easing.

China postponed two political meetings in the port city that borders Beijing over a sudden Covid-19 outbreak, raising concern whether the Winter Olympics and annual national legislative meetings can go ahead smoothly.

These were among the topics of this week’s most compelling political images.