Hong Kong's own 'partygate' scandal saw its first high-profile casualty after the city's home affairs chief resigned

• Caspar Tsui quit after being embroiled in Hong Kong's version of the UK's 'partygate' scandal.
• The home affairs sec. was caught attending a birthday bash despite the island's strict COVID-19 rules.

Hong Kong's very own version of the UK's "partygate" scandal claimed its first high-profile victim when Caspar Tsui, the city's home affairs secretary, resigned on Monday.

Tsui stepped down after admitting to having behaved inappropriately by attending a massive birthday bash earlier this month, according to Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK News.

"As one of the principal officials taking the lead in the anti-epidemic fight, I have not set the best example during the recent outbreak," Tsui said in a statement seen by RTHK News. "I made the wrong decision to attend a banquet on January 3 and behaved in an inappropriate manner when all efforts should have been devoted to controlling the spread of the virus."

Tsui was sent to a COVID-19 quarantine camp in January after it came to light that he was among more than 200 people who attended the massive birthday gathering. According to local media outlets HK01 and Now News, Tsui and at least 10 other top lawmakers attended the party, which was organized for Witman Hung, a Hong Kong delegate to China's top legislature.

Leaked images from the party showed at least a dozen attendees mingling without their masks. One photo published in the South China Morning Post, showed Hung speaking into a microphone accompanied by Ellen Tsang, a high-ranking official in the city's Election Committee; both were maskless in the snapshot.

In another photo shared by SCMP, dozens of masked party attendees were seen posing for a group photo. According to AFP, the party did not violate the city's COVID-19 regulations at the time although the public had been advised by officials to avoid large groups.

The city officials' attendance at the party — from which at least one person has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus — sparked anger in Hong Kong. The island has taken an intense Covid-zero approach to pandemic management, imposing strict border controls and going so far as to cull 2,000 hamsters over one unlinked COVID-19 infection.

Tsui's resignation comes just as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a political reckoning and a "partygate" scandal of his own.

Johnson is currently bracing for the results of a formal inquiry into a series of allegations that illegal parties — some even organized weekly — were held at Downing Street. Most recently, Johnson was accused of having a birthday party with around 30 people while such events were banned.

The UK police also stated this week that they are investigating the alleged lockdown-breaking parties and will be contacting those suspected of attending them.