: Boris Johnson offers wholehearted apology over partygate #IndiaNEWS #International London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday offered a �wholehearted� apology for attending an illegal

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Boris Johnson offers wholehearted apology over partygate #IndiaNEWS #International
London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday offered a �wholehearted� apology for attending an illegal party during lockdown — but insisted he didnt knowingly break rules or mislead Parliament.
Johnson told lawmakers in the House of Commons “it did not occur to me� that the birthday gathering, complete with a cake, was a party.
Last week, Johnson was fined 50 pounds ()  for attending his own surprise birthday party in 10 Downing St. In June 2020, making him the first British prime minister ever found to have broken the law while in office.
Police are still investigating several other parties in government buildings that Johnson is alleged to have attended.
Speaking as the House of Commons returned from an 11-day Easter break, Johnson said sorry for what he insists was a minor slip-up — but brushed off opposition calls to resign for flouting the restrictions that he imposed on the country during the pandemic.
Johnson acknowledged peoples “hurt and anger� but added that “it did not occur to me then or subsequently that a gathering in the Cabinet Room, just before a vital meeting on COVID strategy, could amount to a breach of the rules. �
The opposition Labour Party is trying to get lawmakers to censure Johnson over the “partygate� scandal. The Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, said he would allow Labour to hold a Commons debate and vote on whether Johnson should be investigated for allegedly misleading Parliament. Ministers found to have done that are generally expected to resign.
The vote is scheduled for Thursday. Before that, Johnson is expected to sound contrite, but argue that it would be wrong to change leaders while Britain faces crises including the war in Ukraine and a cost-of-living squeeze driven by surging energy and goods prices.
Johnson and his Conservative government have faced growing outrage since allegations surfaced late last year that he and his staff held office parties in 2020 and 2021 when millions in the country were barred from meeting with friends and family — or even attending funerals for their loved ones.
The fine followed a police investigation and a civil service probe into the gatherings. Johnson tried to bat away questions, first by saying there were no parties and then by insisting that he believed no rules were broken.
Cabinet Minister Brandon Lewis insisted Johnson wasnt a liar and had always stated “what he believes to be the truth. �
“What he said to Parliament he believed to be true at the time,� Lewis said.
Johnsons grip on power had appeared to be on a knife-edge earlier this year because of the scandal and the departure of several top aides.

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