British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised to parliament on Tuesday after he was fined by police for breaking lockdown rules, saying he did not know a birthday gathering at the height of the pandemic was in breach of the rules he had set, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Opposition lawmakers argue that the prime minister must go, saying he set stringent rules during COVID-19, broke those rules in Downing Street and then repeatedly lied to parliament when he said all guidelines had been met.
Johnson told the House of Commons he had not deliberately mislead parliament but said it had never occurred to him that he was in breach of the rules. He acknowledged that the public had a right to expect better.
His apology came as the Speaker of the House said a vote could be held on Thursday into whether Johnson should be investigated over claims he misled parliament.
Under the ministerial code, knowingly misleading parliament is an offence that should result in resignation.
"As soon as I received the notice (from the police), I acknowledged the hurt and the anger, and I said that people had a right to expect better of their prime minister," Johnson told parliament.
Labour leader Keir Starmer accused Johnson of failing to respect the sacrifices made by the British public during lockdowns, and of demeaning his office.
Urging him to resign, he said the prime minister had the chance to: "bring decency, honesty and integrity back into our politics and stop the denigration of everything that this country stands for".
Johnson told parliament in December that "all guidance was followed completely" over the lockdown restrictions. He was fined by the police last week after an internal inquiry found Downing Street held alcohol-fuelled parties at a time when people were not allowed to attend funerals or visit the sick.