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Boris Johnson ripped over apology for attending lockdown-busting BYOB party at Downing Street

Aside from a major Labour backlash, Johnson was also slammed by some senior Tories who called for him to resign over the latest reports.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was inundated with calls of resignation after he apologized on Wednesday, January 12, for attending a party held in Downing Street during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown in May 2020.

Johnson, 57, has been facing criticism over a range of issues, from his handling of the ongoing health crisis to the lavish refurbishment of his apartment. Considering, reports of him attending lockdown-busting parties came as another massive blow to his administration. Aside from a major Labour backlash, Johnson was also slammed by some senior Tories who called for him to resign over the latest reports.

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As reported by WION, the bombshell revelation was made by Dominic Cummings, a former aide of Johnson. Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party, said the public believed the PM was "lying through his teeth". He added, "the only question is will the British public kick him out, will his party kick him out, or will he do the decent thing and resign? The prime minister's a man without shame."

Meanwhile, Senior Conservative MP Roger Gale said Johnson was politically a "dead man walking" as it was now clear that he had misled parliament. "Unfortunately what the prime minister has said today leaves people like me in an impossible situation," he told the BBC, warning that the Tories could potentially hold a no-confidence vote against Johnson. "If the prime minister knowingly attended a party I don't see how he can survive, having accepted resignations for far less," Nigel Mills, another Conservative lawmaker, added.

While apologizing for his actions, Johnson said he did not appreciate how the incident would be perceived by millions of British citizens who diligently complied with Covid guidelines, with some who were unable to attend funerals of dying relatives. "And to them and to this House I offer my heartfelt apologies," Johnson said as he addressed the UK's House of Commons. "With hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside. I should have found some other way to thank them (his staff)," he added, admitting he was present at the soiree for about half an hour.

However, social media was inundated with criticisms of Johnson, with many lambasting his apology. "It’s the silence that should worry Boris Johnson after that #PMQs. The silence behind him on the Conservative benches and in the corridors as they left. That wasn’t an apology. It was the most shameful performance by a Prime Minister in the House of Commons in living memory," Labour MP Wes Streeting tweeted.

"You can shove your ‘heartfelt apologies’ up your arse, along with your manufactured excuses and obvious lies, and swivel on them," reporter Jonathan Pie added. "Excuse me. Boris Johnson during his “apology” went from having almost complete amnesia about said party, to a few days later, displaying near-perfect recollection of events; timings, guidelines, people in attendance. So done with this excuse of a leader," former diplomat Dr Jennifer Cassidy commented.

"Still irked by this: “even if [the party] could be said technically to fall within the guidance, there would be millions of people who would not see it that way.” He doesn’t think HE is in the wrong. He thinks WE are. We - the public. Wrong to see it as a breach of the law," GMB host Susanna Reid offered.

"If Boris Johnson thinks we are accepting his apology he has misjudged the nation #JohnsonOut," one Twitter user wrote.

"Boris Johnson's "apology" was insulting. He only regrets being caught," another chimed in.