Boris Johnson offers 'wholehearted' apology over partygate
India TodayBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday offered a ”wholehearted” apology for attending an illegal party during lockdown - but insisted he didn't knowingly break rules or mislead Parliament. Cabinet Minister Brandon Lewis insisted Johnson wasn't a liar and had always stated “what he believes to be the truth.” “What he said to Parliament he believed to be true at the time,” Lewis said. London's Metropolitan Police force is investigating a dozen events, including “bring your own booze” office parties and “wine time Fridays,” organized by Johnson's staff. For now, Conservative lawmaker Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said his colleagues were “withholding their judgment and waiting to see what happens.” But fellow Conservative Tobias Ellwood, who heads the Commons Defense Committee, said the government “shouldn't use the fig leaf of our involvement with Ukraine to somehow say this is not a time to address those difficult challenges.” He said the party should hold a no-confidence vote to determine whether “the prime minister has support and we march forward, or it is time for change.”