UK PM Johnson apologises for lockdown gathering

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks outside Downing Street in London, Britain, January 12, 2022. REUTERS/Paul Childs

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised to parliament on Wednesday for a "bring your own booze" gathering that was held at his official Downing Street residence during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Below are excerpts from Johnson's comments to the House of Commons:

"Mr. Speaker, I want to apologise. I know that millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months. I know the anguish that they have been through, unable to mourn their relatives, unable to live their lives as they want, or to do the things they love.

"And I know the rage they feel with me, over the government I lead, when they think that in Downing Street itself the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make them. And though I cannot anticipate the conclusions of the current inquiry, I have learned enough to know that there were things we simply did not get right. And I must take responsibility."

(Compiled by William Schomberg)