Former British PM admits misleading parliament in 'partygate' scandal

LONDON - Former British prime minister Boris Johnson admitted on Tuesday that the Parliament was "misled" by his statements on rule-breaking government parties held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements that the rules and guidance had been followed completely at No 10," Johnson said.

"But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly knew and believed at the time," he said in written evidence published a day ahead of an interrogation by lawmakers over the "partygate" scandal.

Johnson was forced to resign in July last year over a string of scandals. These included partygate, and Johnson's appointment of Chris Pincher, who has been accused of sexual misconduct. Johnson's resignation, followed by Liz Truss' short-lived premiership will be remembered as a summer of political chaos for the United Kingdom.

When revelations of booze-fueled parties in 2020 and 2021 at Downing Street first emerged in late 2021, Johnson initially said that no rules had been broken. He later apologized and said there had been "misjudgments," as he mistook those parties for work events.

Johnson's claims are currently being investigated by the cross-party Committee of Privileges. A guilty verdict on Wednesday could lead to his suspension from the House of Commons, the lower house of the British parliament.