Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Johnson sorry for 'partygate' but vows to stay on

Johnson sorry for 'partygate' but vows to stay on

BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson on Monday (31) apologised after his government was criticised for "failures of leadership and judgment" in allowing lockdown-breaching parties at his offices.

Johnson's position has been hanging by a thread because of the steady drip of revelations since late last year, but he has in the last week been given a lifeline as police stepped in.

"I'm sorry for the things that we simply didn't get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled," Johnson told MPs in parliament.

He vowed "to get on with the job" despite widespread political and public anger and calls for him to quit or be forced out.

"I get it and I will fix it," he added, promising sweeping changes to his Downing Street operation following criticism about lack of accountability and managerial oversight.


Also Read | 'Boris Johnson has lost the support of his party'


The police probe meant that senior civil servant Sue Gray was forced to avoid going into detail in a long-awaited report about 16 events held in 2020 and last year, so as not to prejudice the Scotland Yard inquiry.

But Gray still managed a stinging rebuke to the prime minister's authority, contrasting government officials' behaviour with the sacrifices made by the public during the pandemic.

oris Johnson Visits Uxbridge Constituency Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

"Too little thought" had been given about how appropriate boozy events were and would be seen as others stuck to the rules, unable to comfort sick and dying loved ones with Covid.

"There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 (Downing Street) and the Cabinet Office at different times," Gray wrote in her 12-page report.

"Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did."

Gray questioned more than 70 individuals and examined emails, WhatsApp and text messages, photos and Downing Street's entry and exit logs.

She condemned "excessive" drinking in Downing Street, as well as unwieldy expansion of the prime minister's office in recent years that had blurred lines of accountability.

'Man without shame'

Johnson's opponents have accused him of misleading parliament by insisting the events at Downing Street were within the rules at the time and were work-related.

Ministers found to have misled MPs are normally expected to resign.

On the streets of London, many agreed. "I think he's not fit to be prime minister. I think he should resign," said Sarah, who works for the state-run National Health Service.

But others said it was time to move on. "He's not going to resign and I guess there are bigger things to be getting on with now," Tom, who works in finance, told AFP.

In angry exchanges in the House of Commons, Johnson urged all sides to await the Metropolitan Police's own findings.

But opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer said the fact that 12 of the 16 parties, including one in Johnson's own flat, were subject to a police probe was "a mark of shame".

"He is a man without shame," the former chief prosecutor said, urging Johnson's Conservative cabinet allies to depose him instead of "supporting further misconduct, cover-up and deceit".

Weeks of revelations since December have seen leaked photographs and emails indicating repeated breaches of social distancing rules the government set for the country.

They include a cocktail party in May 2020 in the Downing Street garden, as well as Christmas celebrations, and a drink-fuelled get-together before Prince Philip's funeral.

Staff reportedly brought a suitcase filled with alcohol and danced until the small hours.

Queen Elizabeth II was subsequently pictured at the funeral, sat alone in the chapel at Windsor Castle, mourning her husband of 73 years.

Downing Street later apologised to the monarch.

Breathing space

The revelations have posed the greatest threat to Johnson's position since he became prime minister in 2019 on a wave of support for his populist Brexit agenda.

A handful of his own MPs have publicly said they had no confidence in his leadership. More have been expected to join them.

Fifty-four Tory MPs are required to force a no-confidence vote, but many had kept their counsel ahead of the publication of the Gray report.

But with Gray's report limited in scope, and the police inquiry potentially lasting months, Johnson has been given an opportunity to regroup his supporters and get back on the front foot.

In recent days he has talked tough against Russia as tensions between Moscow and Kyiv simmer, and is keen to push on with his post-Brexit agenda.

(AFP)

More For You

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices
Sajid Javid

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices

A NEW independent commission to improve cohesion would engage across all nations and regions of the UK by moving beyond Westminster-centric discussions and include more diverse voices, the director of British Future thinktank has said.

Sunder Katwala said building confidence across different groups will be a priority, as economic pressures and tensions due to Middle East conflict have polarised communities in the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
Yarl’s-Wood-detention-centre-Getty

In 2018, she was detained at Yarl’s Wood detention centre after being told she would be deported. (Photo: Getty Images)

Court awards £100,000 to Pakistani asylum seeker over unlawful detention

A PAKISTANI asylum seeker has been awarded nearly £100,000 after a UK court ruled that she was unlawfully detained and subjected to breaches of her rights by the Home Office.

Nadra Almas, who arrived in the UK on a student visa in 2004, overstayed after her visa expired. She argued that returning to Pakistan would put her at risk as a Christian.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

Pakistani zookeeper Mohammad Amir holds the confiscated lion cub at Lahore’s safari zoo last Tuesday (28)

Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

A PAKISTANI YouTube star who was gifted a lion cub on his wedding day avoided jail after promising a judge to upload animal rights videos for a year.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in south Asia, and his week-long nuptials in December were plastered over celebrity gossip websites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

iStock

Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

THEFT and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year, driven partly by criminal gangs, and are “out of control”, according to a report last Thursday (30).

The British Retail Consortium's annual crime survey found that more than 20 million thefts occurred in the year to August 31, 2024 – an average of 55,000 a day – costing retailers £2.2 billion.

Keep ReadingShow less
33 Gujaratis deported from US land in Ahmedabad

Indian immigrants who allegedly illegally migrated to the US arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, in Ahmedabad. (ANI Photo)

33 Gujaratis deported from US land in Ahmedabad

A PLANE carrying 33 people from Gujarat, who were among 104 Indians deported from the US for illegal immigration, landed at Ahmedabad airport from Amritsar on Thursday (6) morning, officials said.

Soon after their arrival, the 33 immigrants, including some children and women, were transported to their native places in Gujarat in police vehicles, assistant commissioner of police, 'G' division, R D Oza said.

Keep ReadingShow less