Prime minister says it 'did not occur' to him he was breaking covid rules

Prime minister Boris Johnson has offered a “wholehearted apology” for his Partygate fine on Tuesday (19 April).

“It did not occur to me then or subsequently that a gathering in the cabinet room... could amount to a breach of the rules... that was my mistake and I apologise for it unreservedly,” Johnson said.

Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed that a debate will be held on Thursday (21 April) on whether Johnson knowingly misled parliament regarding his knowledge of the Covid rule-breaking.

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