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Boris Johnson has “categorically” denied he was warned a drinks party in the No 10 garden risked breaking lockdown rules.
“Nobody warned me that it was against the rules,” the prime minister said, adding: “I would have remembered that.”
Former aide Dominic Cummings says he warned Mr Johnson at the time, and has accused him of misleading MPs about it.
Asked if he would resign if he was found to have misled MPs, Mr Johnson said: “Let’s see what the report says.”
Senior civil servant Sue Gray is due to publish a report into alleged Covid rule breaking at lockdown get-togethers in Downing Street and government departments.
In his blog, Mr Cummings, who was still working in Downing Street at the time of the drinks party on 20 May 2020, claimed the PM had waved aside his warnings.
Mr Cummings said the idea that a senior aide – the PM’s Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds – would not have checked with Mr Johnson, after he was warned his invitation to drinks in the Number 10 garden broke the rules, “is not credible”.
Two other former Downing Street officials told the BBC they remembered Mr Cummings telling them on that day he had advised the prime minister not to allow the drinks to go ahead.
Asked about Mr Cummings’ claims on a visit to a North London hospital, Mr Johnson said: “I can tell you categorically that nobody said that this was something that was against the rules, that was in breach of the Covid rules.”
Responding to his latest statement, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Boris Johnson clearly knows it’s the end of the road.
“He’s the prime minister, he set the rules, he didn’t need anyone to tell him that the party he attended broke them.
“If he had any respect for the British public, he would do the decent thing and resign.”
‘Thanking staff’
In his interview, Mr Johnson repeated the apology he made to MPs last week for “mistakes” made over the May 2020 get-together.
“As I said in the House of Commons, when I went out into that garden I thought that I was attending a work event.”
He said he had not seen the email sent by Mr Reynolds inviting staff to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden”.
“I only saw it the other day. I only saw it when it emerged,” said the PM.
“What I remember is going out into that garden for a short time and for 25 minutes thanking staff who’d worked on Covid, who were continuing to work on Covid, and then going back to office.
“If I had my time again, I would not have allowed things to develop in that way.”
Asked if he had lied to Parliament over the parties, he said: “No. I want to begin by repeating my apologies to everybody for the misjudgments that I’ve made, that we may have made in No 10 and beyond, whether in Downing Street or throughout the pandemic.”
Downing Street party row
- ANALYSIS: What was really going on in No 10 during lockdown?
- LAURA KUENSSBERG: No 10 can’t control what happens next in party row
- REALITY CHECK: The Covid rules when Downing Street parties were held
- PROFILE: What is Sue Gray investigating?
- TIMELINE: Alleged government lockdown gatherings
He appeared to be distressed as he was quizzed about No 10 parties on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in April last year.
Breathing heavily behind his mask, he said: “I deeply and bitterly regret that that happened.
“I can only renew my apologies both to Her Majesty and to the country for misjudgements that were made, and for which I take full responsibility.”
On Friday, Downing Street apologised to Buckingham Palace over the two staff parties – which were not attended by Mr Johnson – on 16 April, 2021.
The following day, the Queen sat alone – socially distanced from her family – as she mourned her husband.
Mr Johnson said he would make a further statement on alleged rule-breaking in Downing Street when Sue Gray publishes her report, which is expected shortly.
Six Conservative MPs have publicly declared no confidence in the prime minister so far, while Labour, the Liberal Democrats and SNP are urging him to resign.
Fifty-four Tory MPs must write letters calling for Mr Johnson to go in order to trigger a party leadership contest.
Timeline: The alleged government gatherings
The government is facing mounting pressure over several events that are alleged to have been held during lockdowns. Here is what we know about them and the restrictions in place at the time:
Boris Johnson announced a plan to take the “first careful steps” out of the lockdown that began in March 2020. But he said people should continue to “obey the rules on social distancing and to enforce those rules we will increase the fines for the small minority who break them”.
Legal restrictions at the time said you could not leave your house without a reasonable excuse and government guidance was that you could meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor setting while exercising.
A photo from May 2020 showed the prime minister and his staff with bottles of wine and a cheeseboard in the Downing Street garden. When asked about it, Boris Johnson said, “those people were at work talking about work”.
About 100 people were invited by email to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden” on behalf of the prime minister’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds.
Witnesses told the BBC the PM and his wife were among about 30 people who attended.
Boris Johnson has confirmed he attended the event, saying he was there for 25 minutes and “believed implicitly that this was a work event”.
Boris Johnson announced plans for a “significant return to normality” in England by Christmas “through targeted, local action” instead of national lockdowns.
But he added that the timetable relied on “every one of us staying alert and acting responsibly”.
With cases of coronavirus rising again, the prime minister told people in England that “we are once again asking you to stay at home” as a new national lockdown began.
He said people should only leave their homes “for work if you can’t work from home, for education, and for essential activities and emergencies”. Indoor gatherings with other households were banned, unless they were for work purposes.
Sources told the BBC that Downing Street staff members attended a gathering with Carrie Johnson in the flat where she and the prime minister live. A spokesman for Mrs Johnson denies the party took place.
A leaving event was held for No 10 aide, Cleo Watson, where people were drinking, and Mr Johnson made a speech, according to sources.
The second national lockdown ended after four weeks but Boris Johnson replaced those restrictions with “tough tiers to keep this virus down”.
London was placed in tier two, which banned two or more people from different households from meeting indoors, unless “reasonably necessary” for work purposes.
The Department for Education has confirmed it had an office gathering to thank staff for their work during the pandemic. It says drinks and snacks were brought by those who attended and no outside guests or support staff were invited.
The Conservative Party has admitted that an “unauthorised gathering” took place at its HQ in Westminster. It was held by the team of the party’s London-mayoral candidate, Shaun Bailey, who has since stepped down as chair of the London Assembly police and crime committee. The Metropolitan Police is to speak to two people who attended the party.
Multiple sources have told the BBC there was a Christmas quiz for No 10 staff last year. A photo – published by the Sunday Mirror – showed Boris Johnson taking part and sitting between two colleagues in No 10. Mr Johnson has denied any wrongdoing.
London moved into the highest tier of restrictions and Matt Hancock, who was health secretary at the time, said it was important “everyone is cautious” ahead of the festive period.
The Department for Transport apologised after confirming reports of a party in its offices that day, calling it “inappropriate” and an “error of judgment” by staff.
A leaving party was held at the Cabinet Office for the outgoing head of the civil service Covid taskforce – the team responsible for drawing up coronavirus restrictions.
Kate Josephs, now chief executive of Sheffield City Council, apologised for the event, saying she was “truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result”.
Downing Street originally denied a report by the Daily Mirror that a party took place in Downing Street.
However, a video obtained by ITV News showed the prime minister’s then-press secretary Allegra Stratton, joking about reports of an event, saying: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”
Lockdown restrictions were eased in England, with pubs and restaurants allowed to reopen with outdoor service only.
However, working from home continued to be recommended and socialising indoors with people from other households was not allowed. Meeting others outdoors was limited to groups of six people or two households.
Two parties were held by Downing Street staff at No 10, the night before Prince Philip’s funeral.
One of the events was a leaving party for the PM’s then director of communications James Slack, who has apologised for the event and acknowledged it “should not have happened at the time that it did”.
Boris Johnson was not at either party.