'What a joke': Keir Starmer berates Johnson over Partygate apology

let me begin in all humility by saying that on the 12th of april i received a fixed penalty notice relating to an event in downing street on the 19th of june 2020 i paid the fine immediately and i offered the british people a full apology and i take this opportunity on the first available sitting day to repeat my whole-hearted apology to the house as soon as i received the notice i acknowledged the hurt and the anger and i said that people had a right to expect better of their prime minister let me also say not by way of mitigation or but purely purely because it explains my previous words in this house that it did not occur to me then or subsequently that a gathering in the cabinet room just before a vital meeting on covet strategy could amount to a breach of the rules i repeat that was my mistake and i apologize for it unreservedly what a joke even now as the latest merely mouthed apology stumbles out of one side of his mouth a new set of deflections and distortions but the damage is already done the public have made up their mind they don't believe a word the prime minister says they know what he is for all those unfamiliar with this prime minister's career this isn't some fixable glitch in the system it's the whole point it's what he does it's who he is he knows he's dishonest and incapable of changing so he drags everybody else down with him the more people deface themselves parroting order what i would say is i think leaders said dishonest i don't think that's an appropriate words i think we don't want to talk about breaking rules do we i don't think that's a good time to discuss and just say i think it just withdraws that and works around and i'm sure that with the knowledge that he's gained over many many years he can use appropriate words there is in keeping with good temperament language of this house kirsten mr speaker i respect that ruling from the chair the prime minister knows what he is plenty didn't agree with every rule the prime minister wrote but they followed them nonetheless because in this country we respect others we put the greater good above narrow self-interest and we understand that the rules apply to all of us this morning i spoke to john robinson a constituent of the member for litchfield i want to tell you his story when his wife died of covid john and his family obeyed the prime minister's rules he didn't see her in hospital he didn't hold her hand as she died their daughters and grandchildren drove a hundred miles up the motorway clutching a letter from the funeral director in case they were questioned by the police they didn't have a service in the church john's son-in-law stayed away because he would have been the forbidden seventh mourner doesn't the prime minister realize that john would have given the world to hold his dying wife's hand even if it was just for nine minutes but he didn't because he followed the prime minister's rules rules that we now know the prime minister blithely repeatedly and deliberately ignored after months of insulting excuses today's half-hearted apology will never be enough for john robinson if the prime minister had any respect for john and the millions like him who sacrificed everything to follow the rules he resigned the prime minister accepted the health secretary's resignation for breaking guidance uh copic guidance not covet laws the prime minister then accepted allegra stratton's resignation for joking that the parties that were um so frequent in downing street were actually a business event he's now using her joke as his defense why is he holding himself to lower standards than he held the people whose resignations he accepted mr speaker all i can say is that uh i apologize uh for what uh i got wrong uh and i've explained to the house why i spoke in the house as i uh as i did and what i want to do is to get on with the job of the government in taking this country forward and that is what we're going to do

Channel: Guardian News

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Id: ue4PwKbOwWw

Length: 6min 2sec (362 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 19 2022