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UK opposition calls Boris Johnson's response to Partygate scandal a 'joke'
The Euronews reported that the leader of the opposition has called Boris Johnson's response to the Partygate scandal a "joke" after the UK prime minister renewed his apology for breaking COVID-19 rules in Parliament.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said on Tuesday (Apr 19): "What a joke. The damage is already done. The public have made up their minds. They don't believe a word the prime minister says. They know what he is."
He later renewed calls for the PM to resign, labelling Johnson "a man without shame".
The Euronews mentioned that this was the first time Johnson had faced British lawmakers since police fined him for attending a birthday party during the pandemic lockdown.
In his address delivered to Parliament, Johnson said: “I take this opportunity on the first available sitting day to repeat my wholehearted apology to the House [of Commons]."
"I acknowledged the hurt and the anger, and I said that people had a right to expect better of their prime minister," he said, adding that he did not know he was breaching the rules at the time.
Johnson rejected calls for his resignation, saying the government should now "get on with the job of representing the British people."
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He repeated that he was "heartily sorry" several times throughout the hour-long session, finishing by claiming that "Putin's barbaric assault of Ukraine" was a "priority" of his government.
Source: euronews
