Boris Johnson reboots office in bid to move past ‘partygate’

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has brought in new senior staffers as he tries to restore his flagging authority after weeks of turmoil. The appointments include new communications chief Guto Harri, an aide from his days as London mayor, to try to regain control of the government’s messaging. Harri insisted Johnson is  insisted the prime minister is “not a total clown.” Johnson said Monday he was “focused completely” on addressing issues important to the public, such as backlogs of medical procedures due to the pandemic. But some in his governing Conservative Party are seeking to oust him after revelations that he and his staff held parties while Britain was in lockdown in 2020 and 2021.