Boris Johnson has apologised to MPs for breaking lockdown restrictions.
The Prime Minister issued the statement in the House of Commons this afternoon. It was the first time Mr Johnson addressed MPs since he was fined by the Met Police for attending his own birthday party in Downing Street in June 2020.
Mr Johnson has since paid the fine and insisted he did not knowingly break the rules he had implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19. He said: "As soon as I received the notice, I acknowledged the hurt and the anger and I said people had the right to expect better from their Prime Minister and I repeat that in the house now."
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"Let me also say, not by way of mitigation or excuse but purely because it explains my previous words in this House, 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. I repeat that was my mistake and I apologise for it unreservedly.
"I respect the outcome of the police investigation, which is still under way, and I can only say that I will respect their decision-making and always take the appropriate steps."
Mr Johnson urged MPs to focus on issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and the conflict in Ukraine. He said: "It is precisely because I know that so many people are angry and disappointed that I feel an even greater sense of obligation to deliver on the priorities of the British people. And to respond in the best traditions of our country, to Putin's barbaric onslaught against Ukraine."
Mr Johnson previously assured Parliament that all guidance was followed by the government throughout the lockdown - and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer blasted the Prime Minister for misleading the country. He told ITV : "He's not just broken the rules, he's lied to the public and he's lied to Parliament about it"
The Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, announced today that MPs will vote on Thursday on whether a investigation should be launched to examine if Boris Johnson misled Parliament. The ministerial code states the punishment for misleading Parliament is resignation.
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