Politics LIVE: Sue Gray report: Boris Johnson holding press conference
The Prime Minister faced fresh demands to resign after Sue Gray’s report said the public would be “dismayed” by a series of breaches of coronavirus rules in No 10 and Westminster.
“The events that I investigated were attended by leaders in government. Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen,” she said.
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Hide AdThe Metropolitan Police has issued 126 fines for rule breaches in No 10 and Whitehall, with the Prime Minister receiving a single fixed-penalty notice for his birthday party.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner described the contents of the report as “indefensible”, calling Mr Johnson’s Downing Street “rotten from the very top”.
“He set the culture. It happened on his watch. It’s on him,” she added.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford branded the report “damning” and called the Prime Minister to resign for “orchestrating” the scenes in Downing Street.
Labour said there was now “no doubt” that Mr Johnson had “lied” to MPs.
You can follow the latest in our live blog.
Politics: Partygate row as it happened: Pressure mounts on Boris Johnson as he faces questions after new photos emerge
Boris Johnson felt it was his “duty” to make an appearance at the leaving-dos of departing colleagues.
He told a press briefing: “When I was speaking to colleagues about the departure of another spad (special adviser), or Government adviser or official, it didn’t occur to me that this was anything except what it was my duty to do as Prime Minister during a pandemic.
“That’s why I did it, and that’s why I spoke as I did in the House of Commons. And, yes, as Sue has found and everybody can see and the evidence has shown, after I had been there things did not go well.”
Asked whether he heard music or partying in the building after he left the events, Mr Johnson replied: “No, let’s be absolutely clear – this is a very big place.
“If you take No 10 and the Cabinet Office together, there are hundreds of rooms.
“My impression was that I was personally at work events, but that doesn’t absolve me of responsibility for what happened in this place.
“I take that responsibility and I continue to make sure we make changes. I apologised today to the House and to the country, but also to the custodians and the staff, who it now turns out were wrongly and badly treated – I think it is repugnant that that happened.”
