Boris Johnson expected to make ‘full throated’ Partygate apology to MPs

19 April 2022, 06:08 | Updated: 19 April 2022, 06:11

Boris Johnson is expected to apologise to MPs today
Boris Johnson is expected to apologise to MPs today. Picture: Alamy

By Asher McShane

The Prime Minister is today expected to make a "full-throated apology" to MPs after he was fined by police for attending a birthday bash in breach of Covid rules.

Bu Boris Johnson is not expected to address further allegations he instigated a separate lockdown leaving do, as he tries to convince politicians there are bigger issues to focus on than the partygate saga.

Mr Johnson is widely expected to make a statement in the Commons today, as MPs return to Westminster following the Easter recess.

It is thought he will zone in on the crisis in Ukraine, along with the Government's controversial new policy on sending "illegal" migrants to Rwanda.

Last week the PM was fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending a birthday bash thrown in his honour in the Cabinet room in June 2020, while coronavirus restrictions were in place.

Read more: Battle for Donbas begins: Zelenskyy warns of major offensive in eastern Ukraine

Read more: Priti Patel hits back at Archbishop of Canterbury over Rwanda migrant plan

91-year-old caller says she won't die until she gets Boris Johnson out

He was then accused over the weekend of not only attending a leaving party for his former communications chief Lee Cain on November 13 2020, but instigating the do.

Downing Street declined to comment on the claims.

The Telegraph cited a Downing Street source as saying he will "offer a full-throated apology and recognise the strength of feeling" among MPs on partygate, but is unlikely to go into too much detail on the matter.

"He will obviously give an update on the fine because there is a clear need to do that, but it is difficult to pre-empt the findings of an ongoing police investigation publicly," the source reportedly said.

The newspaper said he will instead talk about Ukraine and the Rwanda deal, while The Times previously reported he will also touch on the cost-of-living crisis and a trip to India focusing on defence and trade.

As well as addressing MPs in the Chamber, Mr Johnson is expected to speak to a meeting of the entire Conservative parliamentary party on Tuesday evening.

It is also thought Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, will announce today that he will allow a vote on an investigation into whether the PM misled Parliament with his partygate explanations.

On Monday, a senior Tory suggested a "war cabinet" could be established in place of a leadership contest to avoid detracting attention from the crisis in Ukraine if the PM steps down or is deposed.

Sir Roger Gale said the "interim administration" could be led by the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, who briefly took the reins in 2020 when Mr Johnson was hospitalised with Covid-19.

The veteran Conservative MP previously submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister, which remains "on the table", but has since said it is not the right time for a leadership election given the situation in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams said that without asking for repentance and forgiveness the Prime Minister's position was not sustainable.

His comments follow a thinly-veiled reference to standards in politics by one of the Church of England's most senior clergymen, the Archbishop of York.

Using his Easter sermon on Sunday, Stephen Cottrell urged Britons to ask what sort of country they wanted to live in.

He said: "Do we want to be known for the robustness of our democracy, where those in public life live to the highest standards, and where we can trust those who lead us to behave with integrity and honour?"

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

An F-35 Lightning stealth jet performing a flypast during the commissioning ceremony for 809 Naval Air Squadron at RAF Marham in King's Lynn in Norfolk

Britain's most advanced warplane plagued by delays and shortfalls 'a disappointing return' on £11bn cost, NAO says

Columbus School and College, Chelmsford, United Kingdom. Architect: Haverstock Associates LLP, 2013. Panorama of schoolyard with

Special needs school put students at 'risk of harm' as headteacher sacked

Gregg Wallace outside ITV Studios  Featuring: Gregg Wallace Where: London, United Kingdom When: 29 Nov 2016

Gregg Wallace formally sacked from BBC over no confidence 'learned behaviour' can be changed

GPs will be told to stop giving sick notes to sign people off work.

GPs told to stop handing out sick notes and start sending people to job coaches and gyms

A TUI plane destined for Gatwick was diverted to an airport in Maine, US.

Brits stranded in 'war zone' conditions for 12 hours as TUI plane diverts mid-flight due to 'smoking'

The charred remains of Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill, London, Britain. The 24 storey residential Tower block was engulfed in flames in the summer of 2017.

Grenfell families accuse government of ‘shameless betrayal’ over pause on investigation into 'implicated' firms

John Lacey, 42, was sentenced to 14-months imprisonment.

Thug, 42, jailed for punching pregnant girlfriend in stomach in attack that 'changed victim forever'

Morgan Gibbs-White is set to join Tottenham

Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White set to join Tottenham in £60m transfer

Empty shop with To Let sign in central West London.

London store closures hit 10-year high - as government urged to invest £5bn to save UK's high-streets

Liverpool Women v Aston Villa Women - Pre Season Friendly

Arsenal close to record-breaking £1m signing of Liverpool’s Olivia Smith in landmark deal

Blue Stevens was stabbed to death in Knightsbridge after 'standing up to someone who was trying to steal his watch'

'I can't stop crying': Heartbroken mum of man stabbed to death outside five-star hotel 'for his Rolex' pays tribute

'Birkin' bag by Hermes which belonged to British-French actress and singer Jane Birkin

Original Hermes Birkin bag which belonged to actress Jane Birkin sells for £8.6 million

Parts of an Air India plane that crashed on Thursday are seen on top of a building in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 13, 2025.

Investigators look into Air India's vital engine switches after plane crash killed 270 people

Sean O'Meara

Four suspicious devices found where police shot chainsaw-wielding man in gas mask

Distressing footage Body worn footage shows PC Lydia Ward being comforted by colleagues as she is bleeding from the nose after she tried to arrest an assault suspect at Manchester Airport.

Shocking clip shows cop with bloodied nose crying after Manchester Airport brawl as bodycam footage shown to jury

A neurosurgeon pointing towards a computer as they analyse a patient MRI Scan at a brain surgery clinic.

Air pollution exposure increases risk of common brain tumour, study suggests