Apologizing "sorry" for what the government did not do right and for the handling of so-called 'partygate', Boris Johnson began his extraordinary statement to the House of Commons after senior government official Sue Gray's report on the parties in Downing Street during the lockdown was made public.
Ms. Gray criticized the "failure of leadership and judgment" at the heart of the British government, stressing that many of the gatherings she investigated should not have been allowed to take place and were not justified.
Mr. Johnson reiterated that he understood the anger of citizens from whom he has asked for great sacrifices in the midst of a pandemic.
"It is not enough to apologise, but we have to look in the mirror," the Prime Minister said, adding that he fully accepted Sue Gray's conclusions and her recommendation for changes to the way Downing Street and the Cabinet Office operate.
He therefore announced, among other things, the establishment of a Prime Minister's Office and the appointment of a permanent secretary at Number 10 to resolve what Sue Gray criticises in her report as "fragmented and complex leadership structures".
Opposition Labour leader Sir Kir Starmer has pointed out that Boris Johnson is now the subject of a police investigation, as the Gray report reveals that the Metropolitan Police are investigating, among other things, the 20 May 2020 garden party in Downing Street which the Prime Minister has admitted to attending, and a gathering at the PM's flat on 13 November 2020, the night Dominic Cummings was sacked as Prime Minister's adviser.
Opposition figures have repeated calls for Boris Johnson to resign, while his predecessor Theresa May has criticised him for not adhering to the lockdown rules. And former Conservative minister Andrew Mitchell told the House that the Prime Minister no longer had his own support.
Source: CNA
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