LONDON — Boris Johnson has claimed he didn’t know that a drinks party held in the 10 Downing Street garden during lockdown was against the rules.
The prime minister appeared somber as he told Sky News that he “humbly apologizes” for “misjudgements” that were made but he would not have allowed the event to go ahead if he had known it was a breach of COVID rules.
More than 100 people were invited to the occasion on May 20, 2020 by Martin Reynolds, one of Johnson’s senior aides, who encouraged staff to “bring your own booze.”
Johnson said he carries “full responsibility for what took place” but added, “nobody said to me ‘this is an event that’s against the rules, in breach of what we’re asking everybody else to do.'”
He confirmed he had been interviewed by Sue Gray, the senior civil servant carrying out an investigation into a series of alleged rule-breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall.
Asked about two parties reported to have taken place on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, Johnson looked down as he said: “I deeply and bitterly regret that happened. I can only renew my apology to Her Majesty and apologize for misjudgments made and for which I take full responsibility.”
Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s ex-chief adviser, claimed Monday that he had warned his former boss against the garden party, suggesting that the prime minister had lied to parliament when he said he believed it was a work event.
Johnson denied this, insisting he only saw the email invite for the event from Reynolds when it was leaked to the media.
The PM has faced calls to resign from some of his own MPs over the issue but has stressed the investigation into the parties must be allowed “space” to be concluded.
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