Boris Johnson apologises for a party he says didn’t happen

The UK Prime Minister said he was "furious" to discover a party was allegedly held last Christmas in his own home.

Boris Johnson has denied allegations that a party was held in Downing Street last year, while London was under strict Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions. Leaked footage published by ITV News on Tuesday night showed No.10 staff laughing in a press briefing rehearsal about a Christmas party alleged to have been held in Downing Street in 2020. Johnson opened Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday by apologising unreservedly for the impression given by the clip. Alleging he had no knowledge of the exchange prior to last night, Johnson said he shares the anger of people around the country and that he was “furious to see that clip”. The PM claimed he has been repeatedly reassured, since the clip emerged, that there was no party and no rules were broken. However, if rules were broken, there will be a disciplinary investigation. Labour leader Keir Starmer accused Johnson of taking the public for fools. “Ant and Dec are ahead of the Prime Minister on this,” Starmer said, criticising the PM for purporting having no knowledge of the clip, which featured his personal spokeswoman Allegra Stratton. The SNP's Westminster Leader, Ian Blackford, called for Johnson's resignation, asking the House, "Is this the man to lead these islands?" Dominic Cummings, tweeting during PMQs, shed light on new allegations of illegal parties taking place in Downing Street. He wrote: "Will the CABSEC [Cabinet Secretary] also be asked to investigate the flat party on Friday 13 November, the other flat parties and the flat's 'bubble' policy?" https://twitter.com/Dominic2306/status/1468554606800220164?s=20 Johnson has said the party, if there was one at all, was held by Downing Street staff, suggesting he was not personally in attendance, if there had been a party at all. On Wednesday morning, Health Secretary Sajid Javid pulled out of his planned broadcast interviews on the BBC, following mounting public outrage over the engulfing Christmas party scandal.