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Boris Johnson apologises after lockdown parties report
The Mint news website reported that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised on Monday after a report into lockdown parties held at his Downing Street residence criticised serious failures at the heart of government.
Johnson told parliament: "I want to say sorry."
Johnson said that he was "sorry" for a series of lockdown-breaching parties identified in an official inquiry but vowed "to get on with the job".
"I get it, and I will fix it," he said, vowing administrative changes to his Downing Street operation.
Senior civil servant Sue Gray published findings on four gatherings in 2020 and 2021, and police are investigating a further dozen events.
Johnson has rebuffed calls to resign from opposition politicians and some of his own Conservative lawmakers.
Gray concluded that “failures of leadership and judgment" allowed events to occur that "should not have been allowed to take place."
Gray said: “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behavior surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify."
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Gray's glimpse inside a 10 Downing St marked by excessive alcohol consumption and staff afraid to speak out about workplace problems are a blow to Johnson — who has previously said the rules were followed at all times — and come despite the fact that Gray's conclusions relate to just four of the 16 events she investigated.
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Her findings on 12 other events in 2020 and 2021 have been withheld at the request of the police, who have launched a criminal investigation into the most serious alleged breaches of coronavirus rules. The cuts have led opponents to accuse Johnson of a whitewash.
Source: livemint
