CABINET ministers rallied round Boris Johnson last night after he apologised for attending a Downing Street drinks party during lockdown.
The embattled Prime Minister was urged to carry on leading the country out of the pandemic and deliver on the people’s priorities – in the face of calls for his resignation from both opposition and Tory MPs over alleged rule-breaking in the No 10 garden.
Leading the plea for unity, Home Secretary Priti Patel urged the Tories to “put our shoulders to the wheel and back Boris to deliver”.
And Housing Secretary Michael Gove urged the party’s MPs to rally behind the Prime Minister.
He said: “Boris gets the big calls right. Now is not the time to go wobbly.”
The show of support followed a dramatic statement on the scandal by Mr Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday.
In it, he said: “I offer my heartfelt apologies.”
Mr Johnson acknowledged the “rage” felt by many at reports of a “bring your own booze” party for staff in the Downing Street garden.
He said: “I want to apologise. I know that millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months.”
After days of pressure to explain whether he attended the event, the PM confirmed he spent 25 minutes chatting to staff in the garden to thank them for their efforts in the Government’s pandemic response.
He added: “I believed implicitly that this was a work event. But, with hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside.
This story is from the January 13, 2022 edition of Daily Express.
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This story is from the January 13, 2022 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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