Boris Johnson 'apologises' for Partygate in explosive row over 'boozy lockdown gatherings'

Boris Johnson was grilled connected the latest occurrence (Image: Getty)

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told the radical of Britain helium apologises successful an explosive enactment implicit his 'booze-filled societal gatherings' during lockdown.

In the latest occurrence of Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast show, the BBC Dragons' Den prima went head-to-head with the ex-Conservative enactment leader.

They covered galore topics, including Johnson's claims that coronavirus was 'accidentally' made successful China's laboratories, whether helium is related to 'trusted advisor' Charlotte Owen, and the nonstop fig of children helium has - which helium states is eight.

It comes arsenic the erstwhile MP has precocious released a caller memoir, titled Unleashed. The autobiography focuses connected his clip astatine Westminister, from Brexit to covid.

While reflecting connected the coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021 successful the UK, Bartlett didn't clasp backmost erstwhile probing Johnson astir what truly went connected down the scenes successful 10 Downing Street.

At the commencement of their conversation, Bartlett reminded Johnson of what beingness was similar successful the UK astatine the clip of the lockdowns, wherever Brits were incapable to spot their household and friends owed to isolating and societal distancing rules.

These rules meant galore radical could not sojourn their nearest and dearest successful hospitals and attraction homes oregon adjacent be funerals.

"When you've got radical who are incapable to spot their loved ones due to the fact that of the concern with funerals and the pandemic, adjacent the proposition that determination was a rave going connected successful Number 10 is the astir enraging," Bartlett enactment forward.

Johnson was speedy to explicit clarity: "But determination wasn't a rave going on. I mean, you'll find it each successful Unleashed. I consciousness hopeless astir it, I truly bash and I recognize wholly wherefore radical got truthful enraged, I truly do.

"I mishandled the full happening the revelations arsenic such, arsenic they were." It didn't instrumentality agelong for the speech to go heated.

Boris Johnson has released a caller publication called Unleashed (Image: Getty)

Holding up a photograph allegedly taken astatine Downing Street of a 'social gathering' during lockdown, Bartlett said: "I've got a representation here. There were 17 parties that were alleged during the Partygate clip frame, and 1 of the pictures that leaked to the nationalist was this representation of you enjoying immoderate food and immoderate wine."

It didn't instrumentality agelong for the speech to go heated arsenic the 2 disputed implicit the circumstantial 'occurrence' that caused Johnson to beryllium fined £50 by the police.

"You were fined for 1 peculiar date, which was your birthday. I deliberation wherever you were raising a solid of vino with immoderate colleagues," Bartlett recalled.

Johnson was speedy to deed back, adding: "No I wasn't," earlier claiming: "I was fined for going to basal astatine my table successful the furniture country betwixt meetings. Several members of unit were besides determination and determination were radical I saw passim the moving day.

"People deliberation that I had a barroom and that we didn't. I didn't person a cake. I didn't adjacent spot a cake. To accidental it was a enactment is simply a implicit travesty. It was astir the astir lugubrious event."

In full: Boris Johnson issues apology implicit 'Partygate' row

Bartlett past discusses the value of 'leading by example'. He argued that immoderate went connected successful Downing Street should person been the ' cleanable demonstration' of what to bash and not to bash during lockdowns for the public.

Johnson fired back: "Do you truly deliberation I was deliberately partying and breaking the rules?"

Keen to get his constituent across, the BBC prima admitted: "Seeing that photo, erstwhile 1 of my friends tin spell to their grandmother's funeral, is the astir enraging thing... I deliberation each Gatherings should person been banned astatine fig 10."