Boris Johnson says he regrets apologising for partygate and inquiry was 'put-up job'

Boris Johnson has said he regrets issuing a blanket apology for the partygate scandal and that he had nothing personally to say sorry for.

The former prime minister also said the inquiry into the scandal was a "bit of a put-up job".

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, he insisted that he had not broken any rules and said it was "absurd" he was fined for "standing in my office for a few minutes on my birthday".

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Mr Johnson quit Downing Street in summer 2022 after the partygate and Chris Pincher scandals.

In an interview to promote his new book, Unleashed, the former PM acknowledged his mistakes in those scandals and one involving Owen Paterson.

He said: "I do put my hands up to the failures you identify. I do think I mishandled all three of those things. I tried to explain as clearly as I can what I got wrong. Of course, I regret and I apologised for it.

"Because I am now in the happy position of being able to say exactly what I think, what I honestly think is that in my own personal behaviour I don't think I did anything wrong.

"I certainly don't think I broke the rules, and I can give you a long and boring disposition on why it was absurd I was fined for standing in my office for a few minutes on my birthday."

He continued: "When I look at the chief inquisitor into partygate (Sue Gray) now, I have to say a slow bundling frown creases my brow. She's gone now but she was chief of staff to the leader of the Labour Party.

"I really don't think I did anything wrong personally but what I should have done is help protect everybody else who was working with me and for me better.

"One way I should have done that is have a general announcement circulated around saying we are making these rules, people will be watching, not only have you got to obey them but be seen to obey them.

"The second thing I shouldn't have done is issued a general, grovelling blanket apology for everything at the outset. Because what that meant was the public took it to mean I had accepted in advance all the allegations that were subsequently made, even though actually many of them were simply not true.

"If you say am I at least partly defined over that issue then I am afraid the tragic answer is yes. Do I understand people's anger? Yes. Do I think that it's at least a bit of a put-up job? Yes, I do."

In the wide-ranging interview Mr Johnson also defended his record in office and said Brexit had brought the country freedom to make its own laws, allowed it to get ahead in delivering the Covid-19 vaccines and enabled the UK to assist Ukraine after the Russia invasion more quickly.