Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, continues to be under fire for ignoring Covid regulations his own government put into place at the beginning of 2020.
“I regret very much that we did not do things differently that evening,” Johnson said in his apology. “I take responsibility, and I apologise. In hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside. I should have found some other way to thank them.”
His attempt to apologise for attending a Downing Street garden party was met with jeers and laughs in a packed House of Commons, saying he believed it was a work event. This failed apology has done nothing to bolster his own Conservative Party or repair the trust that has been broken.
The opposition leader, Keir Starmer of the Labour Party, called for his resignation in his address to Parliament: “His defense, that he didn’t realize he was a party is so ridiculous that it’s actually offensive to the British public. Is he now going to do the decent thing and resign?”
Johnson tried to remind Parliament of the success he had during the pandemic and how speedily they were able to rollout Covid-19 vaccines. He may have too high of a view of himself since many British citizens believe he was too hesitant to put the country in lockdown despite having some of the world’s highest death rates
Recent polls show that much of the country wants Johnson to resign. There have been whispers of a mutiny led by Scottish Conservatives, and others are joining the anti-Johnson effort.
While Johnson awaits the results of the investigation of high-level Covid violations and is asking lawmakers to reserve judgment until then, the investigation results are expected by the end of next week.
While the Labour opposition is accusing him of hiding behind the investigation, there’s no need for him to – unlike in the United States, a UK prime minister doesn’t need to be impeached or voted out in a national election. Only 15 percent of Tori members need to demand his removal.
