UK’s Johnson apologizes for attending party during lockdown

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologized for attending a garden party during Britain’s first coronavirus lockdown, but brushed aside demands that he resign for breaching the rules his own government had imposed on the nation. The apology Wednesday stopped short of admitting wrongdoing. It was Johnson’s attempt to assuage a tide of anger from the public and politicians after repeated accusations he and his staff flouted pandemic restrictions by socializing when it was banned. The “partygate” scandal could become a tipping point for a leader who has weathered a series of other storms. Some members of Johnson’s governing Conservative Party are saying he must quit for breaking the rules.