Boris Johnson faces new calls to resign over Downing Street lockdown party

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was engulfed in a scandal htat erupted over a Downing Street party under lockdown rules.

LONDON -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced new calls for his resignation over a party he and his wife attended with Downing Street staff in May 2020, when the country was under lockdown.

Johnson apologized on Wednesday for attending the event, which he said he thought was a work meeting, although rules in the U.K. at the time said households could only meet with one other person in outdoor settings.

News that Johnson's private secretary, Martin Reynolds, had sent an email to more than100 staffers, telling them to make the most of the summer weather and "bring your own booze" was leaked to ITV News, the latest in a series of alleged breaches of lockdown rules by the prime minister's team.

Late last year, it was reported that members of his staff had attended a Christmas party in 2020 in breach of lockdown conditions at the time. The prime minister's former advisor was forced to resign after video was leaked where she could be seen joking about the alleged event.