The Prime Minister has issued a new apology to The Queen over a party in Downing Street on the night before she had to sit alone at her husband's funeral.
Boris Johnson appeared distressed as he faced questions about No 10 parties on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
He could be heard breathing heavily behind his mask as he told reporters: “I deeply and bitterly regret that that happened.
“I can only renew my apologies both to Her Majesty and to the country for misjudgments that were made, and for which I take full responsibility.”
Mr Johnson apologised for “mistakes that may have been made” over No 10 gatherings.
Asked if he was “taking the mickey” over his claim that he believed the May 20, 2020 drinks were a work event, the Prime Minister said: “I think what people need to do is wait and see what the (Sue Gray) report says.
“I repeat my deep apologies to people for mistakes that may have been made on my watch.”
On a visit to a north London hospital, he said: “I repeat my apologies for any and all misjudgments that were made, for which I take full responsibility, but I think people do need to wait and see the conclusion of the report, and I will draw the necessary consequences and conclusions but then come back to the House.”
Mr Johnson has refused to be drawn on whether he would resign if he was found to have misled Parliament over a No 10 drinks party during lockdown.
Speaking during a pooled broadcast clip during a visit to a north London hospital, the Prime Minister said it was important to wait for the findings of an inquiry by the senior civil servant Sue Gray.
“We’ll have to see what she says. I think that she should be given the space to get on and conclude her inquiry,” he said.
“I would urge everybody who has knowledge of this, memories of this, to tell her what they know.
“Let’s see what the report says.”
Mr Johnson said he can say “categorically” he was not warned in advance that a gathering in No 10’s garden on May 20 2020 was in breach of Covid rules.
The Prime Minister was questioned during a visit to a hospital in north London, his first public appearance since last week.
He told broadcasters: “I can tell you categorically, categorically, that nobody told me and nobody said that this was something that was against the rules or was a breach of the Covid rules or we were doing something that wasn’t a work event because, frankly, I don’t think, I can’t imagine why on earth it would have gone ahead or why it would have been allowed to go ahead.
“My memory of this event, as I’ve said, is going out into the garden for about 25 minutes for what I implicitly thought was a work event and talking to staff, thanking staff, I can’t remember exactly how many – but for about 25 minutes I was there. I then went back to my office and continued my work.”
He added: “I do humbly apologise to people for misjudgments that were made. But that is the very, very best of my recollection about this event.”
Mr Johnson has insisted he was not warned in advance that a drinks party in Downing Street in May 2020 was against Covid rules.
“I am deeply sorry for misjudgments that were made. I carry full responsibility for what took place,” he told broadcasters during a visit to a north London hospital.
“Nobody said to me this is an event that is against the rules, that is in breach of what we’re asking everybody else to do, it should not go ahead.
“What I remember is going out into that garden for a short time and for 25 minutes thanking staff who’d worked on Covid, who were continuing to work on Covid, and then going back to office
“If I had my time again, I would not have allowed things to develop in that way.”
Mr Johnson has denied lying to Parliament over allegations of rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.
Asked if he had, he told broadcasters: “No. I want to begin by repeating my apologies to everybody for the misjudgments that I’ve made, that we may have made in No 10 and beyond, whether in Downing Street or throughout the pandemic.
“Nobody told me that what we were doing was against the rules, that the event in question was something that … was not a work event, and as I said in the House of Commons when I went out into that garden I thought that I was attending a work event.”
Mr Johnson has insisted he believed a gathering in No 10’s garden during the first lockdown would be a “work event” after being accused of lying to Parliament by Dominic Cummings.
The Prime Minister was questioned during a visit to a hospital in north London, his first public appearance since last week.
“When I went out into that garden I thought I was attending a work event,” he told broadcasters.
Mr Johnson reduced his public contacts after Downing Street said a family member tested positive for coronavirus.
Despite official guidance no longer requiring vaccinated contacts of coronavirus cases to self-isolate, Mr Johnson pulled out of a visit last Thursday and had not been seen in public since.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has reiterated her call for Boris Johnson to resign following his latest comments on the No 10 drinks party.
“Boris Johnson clearly knows it’s the end of the road,” she said.
“He’s the Prime Minister, he set the rules, he didn’t need anyone to tell him that the party he attended broke them.
“If he had any respect for the British public, he would do the decent thing and resign.”
