He began by offering a “wholehearted apology” and added it “did not occur to me then or subsequently” that the gathering “could amount to a breach of the rules.” He was addressing lawmakers for the first time since being fined by police on April 13 for attending a birthday party thrown for him in Downing Street in June 2020, when large indoor gatherings were banned.

Other parties held at No. 10 Downing street are currently being investigated. The series of parties were dubbed “Partygate,” which became the rallying call for the PM to resign.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said “The public has made up their mind; they don’t believe a word the prime minister says. They know what he is.”

Conservative MP Mark Harper joined calls for Johnson to resign. “I regret to say that we have a Prime Minister who broke the laws that he told the country they had to follow, hasn’t been straightforward about it,” said Harper, the former whip. “I’m very sorry to have to say this, but I no longer think he is worthy of the great office that he holds.”

An internal inquest, separate from the ongoing police investigation, has uncovered multiple parties, a culture of excessive drinking, and a “failure of leadership” in Johnson’s government while the rest of the country was living under strict rules on social mixing.

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The transport secretary said: “When the PM spoke in Parliament he didn’t knowingly appreciate that stepping into the room there was going to be something which breached the rules.”

“It was wrong, he’s apologized, he’s accepted the fixed penalty notice and we move on.”

Last year, Boris said he was not aware that this gathering violates the set COVID rules at that time. Some senior aides contradict this statement by releasing emails that show he was warned it was a violation. At the height of the scandal, 4 senior aides quit their posts.

Party gate is a series of parties that was held at No. 10 Downing street at that time the UK was on a lockdown. The UK government released guidelines detailing that indoor gathering of more than 2 people are not allowed. Many followed the rules including the Royal Family who at that time, unfortunately, held a funeral for Prince Philip. It was noted by many media publications that Queen Elizabeth sat alone during the funeral to follow the rules. Also, the people allowed to attend were very limited and all COVID measures like social distancing and wearing masks were implemented.

At the same time as the funeral was taking place, Johnson and a number of staff members held a party at the No. 10 house. The gatherings allegedly involved drinking and no measures were in place.

Johnsons was also criticized for holding a party on his birthday while many people in the Uk could not even hold a funeral for their loved ones. Many died alone while he was partying with his staff.

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This became a hot topic for quite some time as parties held in Downing Street were against the COVID restrictions. Civil Servant Sue Gray investigated the matter but the report was not fully publicized until the police concluded their independent investigation.

This is the first time in Britain’s history that a PM was fined while he is in office.

Mr. Johnson continuously said that all measures were followed and that no rules were knowingly broken. Evidence that surfaced at that time suggests otherwise as senior aides advised him of the regulations.

Many parties were reported however one struck the most. On the eve of Prince Phillip’s funeral, Queen Elizabeth sat alone in the chapel as she paid her respects to her husband. The Royal Family followed the social distancing rules for gathering as well as the limit on the attendees. In the meantime, No. 10 Downing Street held a party at the same time as the funeral where there were no social distancing measures, alcohol was involved, and many attended the gathering.

Many citizens also expressed their frustration as at the height of the pandemic, they could not hold proper funerals for their loved ones, and yet the PM and his staff were out and about partying. Many were disappointed with his behavior saying it was “disrespectful”.

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