Johnson offers apology over ‘partygate’ scandal
Labour Party calling for leader to be censured
LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday offered a “wholehearted” apology for attending an illegal party during lockdown – but insisted he didn’t 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 ($66) for attending his own surprise birthday party in No. 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.
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 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 wasn’t a liar and had always stated “what he believes to be the truth.”
Johnson’s grip on power had appeared to be slipping earlier this year because of the scandal and the departure of several top aides. Allies feared
“partygate” could become a tipping point for a leader who has weathered a series of other storms. Some Conservative lawmakers were openly calling for a no-confidence vote in their leader.
But Johnson has hung on, partly because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine distracted public and political attention.
Johnson’s international image, battered by Britain’s messy exit from the European Union under his leadership, has been revived by his firm support for Ukraine. Johnson traveled to Kyiv earlier this month to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
If Johnson is sanctioned again, calls for a no-confidence vote could grow among Conservatives. For now, Conservative lawmaker Geoffrey Cliftonbrown said his colleagues were “withholding their judgment and waiting to see what happens.”