British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised and vowed to "fix it" after a report into lockdown parties held at his Downing Street residence criticised serious failures at the heart of government.
A report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into lockdown-breaking gatherings at Downing Street under Mr Johnson condemned some of the behaviour in government as being "difficult to justify".
"I want to say sorry," Mr Johnson told parliament.
"Sorry for the things we simply did not get right and sorry for the way that this matter has been handled."
Mr Johnson said the government had to learn from the criticisms raised, and that he would make changes to his Downing Street operation.
"I get it and I will fix it," he said.
"And I want to say to the people of this country - I know what the issue is, it is whether this government can be trusted to deliver and I say yes we can be trusted, yes we can be trusted to deliver."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologises to the House of Commons after the Sue Gray report criticised the Government's "serious failure" to observe the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government during lockdown. pic.twitter.com/j6Fm08idh6
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 31, 2022
A limited version of the report into Downing Street and Whitehall parties during lockdown has criticised a "serious failure" to observe the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government.
Sue Gray's findings were published online as Mr Johnson prepared to face MPs.
In a carefully worded statement, the cabinet office said Ms Gray had provided an "update" on her investigation to the prime minister, suggesting it was not the full report she was preparing before the Metropolitan Police intervened.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Mr Johnson faced renewed calls to resign today after the release of the report.
The saga has become the gravest threat to Mr Johnson's premiership, which was already under scrutiny for a string of controversies and his handling of the coronavirus response. Opposition politicians and some members of his own Conservative Party have called on him to resign.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused the British Prime Minister of blaming everyone else but himself and again called on him to resign.
"There can be no doubt that the prime minister himself is now subject to criminal investigation," Mr Starmer told parliament.
"It's everybody's fault but his."
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 31, 2022
Labour leader Keir Starmer criticises Boris Johnson after the Sue Gray report reveals lockdown breaches by the British Government. pic.twitter.com/XBMOZtk7uQ
The leader of the Scottish National Party, Ian Blackford, was forced to leave the House of Commons after accusing Mr Johnson of misleading parliament, an offence for which the prime minister would be expected to resign.
Ms Gray's report looked into what has become weeks of a steady drip of stories about events in Downing Street during the lockdown, with reports of aides stuffing a suitcase full of supermarket alcohol and dancing until the early hours.
However, parts of the report were not published due to the ongoing police investigation, which could take months. The officer in charge said detectives were looking at 500 pieces of paper and more than 300 photographs.
This evening, a spokesperson for Mr Johnson said that the Prime Minister will ask Ms Gray to update her report into the gatherings after the police investigation has concluded and will publish that update.
"Given the police have said they are investigating a number of events, it would not be appropriate to comment further while the Met's investigation is ongoing," the spokesperson said.
"But, at the end of the process, the prime minister will ask Sue Gray to update her work in light of what is found. He will publish that update."
Scotland Yard last week asked Ms Gray to make only "minimal reference" to gatherings being investigated by its officers.
The version of Ms Gray's report published online said "it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public".
The Downing Street garden was used for gatherings "without clear authorisation or oversight" in a way that was "not appropriate".
One of the events which Ms Gray was forced to leave out was a gathering on 13 November in Mr Johnson's Downing Street apartment above government offices, and one of the most damaging allegations of a "bring your own booze" party on 20 May 2020.
The Prime Minister's spokesman has said that Mr Johnson does not believe he has broken the law.
Mr Johnson has offered a range of answers to some of the allegations from arguing that Downing Street has always followed the rules, to not being aware of a party.
Police are investigating gatherings on at least eight separate dates, Sue Gray's update suggests.
The report criticised "failures of leadership and judgment" by parts of No 10 and the cabinet office.
It said: "Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify.
"At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time.
"At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public.
"There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did."
Read more: Lockdown parties report is short but it packs a punch
Sue Gray said it was "not possible at present to provide a meaningful report" setting out all she discovered, due to the ongoing police investigation.
"As a result of the Metropolitan Police's investigations, and so as not to prejudice the police investigative process, they have told me that it would only be appropriate to make minimal reference to the gatherings on the dates they are investigating.
"Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather."
