LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised and vowed to “fix it” after a report on Monday into lockdown parties held at his Downing Street residence criticised serious failures at the heart of government.
A report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into lockdown-breaking gatherings at Downing Street under Johnson condemned some of the behaviour in government as being “difficult to justify”.
The report pointed to “serious failures of leadership” at the heart of the British government. “Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place,” she said. “Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”
However, Gray said she could only detail four of 16 events in question because of concerns about prejudicing a separate police investigation, which involves detectives looking into parties including one in Johnson’s apartment above his office.
The saga has become the gravest threat to Johnson’s premiership, already under scrutiny for a series of scandals and his handling of the COVID-19 response. Opposition politicians and some members of his own Conservative Party have called on him to resign.
Johnson made a statement and answered questions for almost two hours in parliament on Monday afternoon following the report’s publication. He apologised again and pledged to make changes at his office.
“I want to say sorry,” Johnson told parliament. “Sorry for the things we simply did not get right and sorry for the way that this matter has been handled.”
Johnson said the government had to learn from the criticisms raised, and that he would make changes to his Downing Street operation.
“I get it and I will fix it,” he said. “And I want to say to the people of this country. I know what the issue is, it is whether this government can be trusted to deliver and I say yes we can be trusted, yes we can be trusted to deliver.”
Britain’s opposition politicians showed little sympathy Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused Johnson of blaming everyone else but himself. “There can be no doubt that the prime minister himself is now subject to criminal investigation,” Starmer told parliament.
The leader of the Scottish National Party, Ian Blackford, was forced to leave the House of Commons after accusing Johnson of misleading parliament, an offence for which the prime minister would be expected to resign.
Gray’s report looked into what has become weeks of a steady drip of stories about events in Downing Street during the lockdown, with reports of aides stuffing a suitcase full of alcohol and dancing until the early hours.
“At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time,” the report said.
“Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify,” it said.
Johnson’s spokesman said, “Steps will be taken to ensure every government department has a clear robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace”.
The prime minister’s spokesman has said Johnson does not believe he broke the law and the prime minister has repeatedly rejected calls to quit.The limited report may hand Johnson and his supporters more time to try to persuade colleagues not to trigger a confidence vote in him.
