Boris Johnson said he “briefly attended” Downing Street confinement meetings, but did not know at the time that “they lasted much longer than necessary.”
The Prime Minister said he had attended to thank the staff because it is “one of the essential duties of leadership” and to keep morale as high as possible.
He told the Commons that he was “unaware of these subsequent proceedings because he was not there” – and claimed to have been “vindicated” by the report’s findings despite being fined for attending a birthday party. they organized during the first confinement.
Live Politics: Damning Sue Gray report released
Johnson added: “My attendance at this time, however brief, has not been out of order.
“But it’s clear that this wasn’t the case with some of these meetings after I left and other meetings when I wasn’t even in the building.”
He was speaking after Sue Gray’s long-awaited report said that Downing Street’s leadership must “take responsibility” for the party’s culture during the COVID blockades.
The prime minister told lawmakers that he had been as “surprised and disappointed as anyone else in this House as the revelations came to light” and that he was “horrified” by the report’s behavior.
He said he took “full responsibility for everything that happened under my control” and also denied that he had lied to the Commons when he had previously stated that no rule had been breached.
The prime minister said he and the government were “humiliated” and “taken a lesson” and that significant changes had been made to the top 10 staff.
Former Secretary of Justice Sir Robert Buckland noted that “the rules of this House are clear: anyone who comes here and deliberately lies and deceives the House should leave their position, resign or apologize.”
The main Conservative asked Mr Johnson if he had “deliberately lied to us”, but the Prime Minister denied that he had done so as he “believed that what he was doing was attending work events”.
“And with the exception of the act in the Cabinet Room, this is a vision that has been vindicated by the investigation.”
PM doubles the denial
During a press conference after the House debate, Johnson denied that he was a liar, reiterated that he regretted what had happened, and reiterated that he thought the party for which he was fined was a labor event.
Asked by Sky News political editor Beth Rigby if she ever considered resigning during the whole debacle, she insisted it was “my job to continue and fulfill our commitments.”
“No matter how bitter and painful the conclusions of this are, and they are, and no matter how humble, I must keep moving forward,” he added.
As he spoke, the Labor office revealed that it had been said to be waiting for a Treasury statement tomorrow, which is expected to be the chancellor announcing a £ 1bn financial package to help with the cost of living.
It will inevitably lead to accusations that the government is trying to divert attention from the Sue Gray report and generate some positive headlines.
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0:58 Behavior “Down That Snake’s Belly” – Starmer
It’s time for the Prime Minister to “pack up”
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Johnson of showing “absolute contempt” for the public and that the report showed “the arrogance and arrogance” of the government.
Starmer said it was time for the prime minister to “pack up” and “return dignity” to the prime minister’s office.
“They [the government] Pretending that the Prime Minister has somehow been exonerated, as if the fact that he only broke the law once deserved praise, “the Labor leader said.
“The truth is that they put the bar of their conduct lower than the belly of a snake.”
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Sue Gray, a senior official, said the conduct that took place at No. 10 during the strict blockades fell “far below” the standards expected by the public.
His report looked at 16 events in 2020 and 2021 and found that a large number of people had attended events and breached blocking rules.
Image: Boris Johnson with a beer at a meeting to commemorate his birthday on June 19, 2020
Senior staff attended or organized some of them, excessive alcohol consumption has been reported, while some of the staff felt unable to raise their concern.
The report included a series of photos from the gatherings, including one showing the prime minister with a beer on his birthday, and an outing ceremony for an adviser with bottles of wine on the table.
Downing Street staff at the time were among certain workers with permission to continue working.
The publication of the report had been delayed until the police finished their own investigation.
The Met police investigation found that 83 people received at least a fixed penalty notice for attending meetings for eight dates.