Boris Johnson has apologized for attending a gathering in the back garden of 10 Downing Street on May 20, 2020, at which point Britons were prohibited from gathering due to strict coronavirus restrictions.
At the start of the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions, Johnson said he did attend the gathering for 25 minutes before going inside to work. He said he believed the gathering to be a work event, but with hindsight conceded he should have sent attendees back inside. Leader of the opposition Keir Starmer said the UK Prime Minister's excuse that he"did not realize he was at a party" was"ridiculous" and"offensive.
Strict lockdown restrictions are in place. People can only meet outdoors at a distance and only with one person from outside of their household. Indoors gatherings are prohibited, non-essential shops, hospitality and leisure businesses are shut. Workplace meetings are allowed only when absolutely necessary.
This happened while the UK was in a hard lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19. At the time, people in England were banned from meeting with more than one other person outdoors, and would be legally punished for doing so. In workplaces, official guidance stated that in-person meetings should only take place if"absolutely necessary."Johnson had refused to deny reports that he and his wife, Carrie Johnson, attended the event.
UK lawmaker breaks down when revealing mother-in-law died alone of Covid 01:11The May 20 allegation comes after a string of scandals questioning precisely how fit Johnson is for office. The scandals range from an attempt to fix rules to prevent one of his Conservative allies -- who had broken lobbying rules -- from being suspended from Parliament, to handing lucrative Covid-19 contracts to people closely associated with the Conservative party.
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