LONDON (AP) 鈥� British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday denied misleading Parliament about lockdown-breaching parties, and confirmed he has given an account of events to an inquiry probing alleged violations of coronavirus rules by the government.
Senior ministers in Johnson's Conservative government said they believed him 鈥� but added the prime minister would have to resign if he is proven to have lied. A growing number of lawmakers from Johnson's Conservative Party expressed discontent with their leader, as pressure to oust him with a no-confidence vote grew.
is investigating a string of alleged rule-flouting government parties that have sparked calls for Johnson鈥檚 resignation, including a May 2020 staff party in the garden of the prime minister's Downing Street residence.
Former Johnson aide Dominic Cummings has said he is willing to 鈥渟wear under oath鈥� that the prime minister was warned in advance that the party would violate coronavirus restrictions, which at the time barred people from meeting more than one person outside their household.
Johnson told Parliament last week that he had attended the event, billed as a 鈥渂ring your own booze鈥� gathering in an invitation sent to 100 people by his principal private secretary. But he said he considered it a work gathering that fell within the rules.
鈥淚鈥檓 absolutely categorical, nobody said to me, 鈥楾his is an event that is against the rules,鈥欌�� Johnson said Tuesday.
鈥淲hen I went out into that garden I thought that I was attending a work event," Johnson told broadcasters during a visit to staff at a London hospital.
鈥淭hat is the very, very best of my recollection about this event, that's what I've said to the inquiry."
Gray is due to report by the end of the month on claims that government staff held late-night soirees, boozy parties and 鈥渨ine time Fridays鈥� while Britain was under coronavirus restrictions in 2020 and 2021. The allegations have spawned public anger, incredulity and mockery, and prompted some in the governing Conservative Party to call for Johnson鈥檚 resignation.
Treasury chief Rishi Sunak 鈥� often cited as a potential successor to Johnson as prime minister 鈥� said he believed Johnson鈥檚 explanation. But he said that 鈥渢he Ministerial Code is clear鈥� about the consequences of misleading Parliament. Ministers who do that are expected to resign.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab agreed that deliberately lying to Parliament was 鈥渘ormally ... a resigning matter.鈥� But he dismissed Cummings鈥� claim that Johnson was warned about the party as 鈥渘onsense.鈥�
Cummings, an architect of the victorious 2016 referendum campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, left Downing Street in late 2020 and has become a vociferous critic of the prime minister he helped put in office. Cummings is also expected to speak to Gray鈥檚 inquiry.
Johnson鈥檚 spokesman, Max Blain, said the prime minister supported the rules in the Ministerial Code 鈥渨hen it comes to knowingly misleading the House.鈥�
Johnson's political fate may rest on the word 鈥渒nowingly.鈥� In his carefully worded apologies over the allegations, Johnson has acknowledged 鈥渕isjudgments鈥� but not admitted personal rule-breaking.
He expressed regret Tuesday for a Downing Street staff party held the night before Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021. The widowed Queen Elizabeth II sat alone at the church service for her 99-year-old husband to adhere to social distancing rules.
Johnson鈥檚 office has apologized to Buckingham Palace over the party.
鈥淚 deeply and bitterly regret that that happened,鈥� Johnson said Tuesday. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
Johnson has urged his opponents to wait for Gray鈥檚 verdict, though experts say there is a good chance it will neither exonerate him nor conclude he broke the law.
Meanwhile, Conservatives are watching nervously as the 鈥減artygate鈥� revelations hit their popularity, with recent opinion polls giving the main opposition Labour Party a double-digit lead.
Under Conservative rules, a no-confidence vote in the party's leader can be triggered if 54 party lawmakers write letters to a party official demanding it. So far only a handful of Conservative members of Parliament have openly called for Johnson to quit, though several dozen are believed to have submitted letters.
Many restive Conservative lawmakers said a challenge to Johnson is inevitable unless Gray exonerates him.
鈥淚f he has lied to Parliament, there will be no choice,鈥� legislator Pauline Latham told Times Radio. 鈥淎t the end of the day, he made the rules, he was in that briefing room looking at the cameras saying 鈥楾his is what you have to do.鈥� So you can鈥檛 say didn鈥檛 know what the rules were. We all knew what the rules were.鈥�
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Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
