Report finds 'failure of leadership and judgment' over Downing Street lockdown parties

Boris Johnson apologized after a report found there was a "failure of leadership and judgment" over gatherings held in Downing Street while the U.K. was under lockdown.

LONDON -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is apologizing again after initial findings of an investigation found that he and his staff showed "failures of leadership and judgment" for allegedly hosting parties during lockdown.

Johnson and his staff have been under fire in recent weeks for holding a number of parties last year -- including a Christmas gathering as the country was sent back into lockdown -- in alleged breaches of his own government’s lockdown rules.

The extent to which the report would lay blame at the feet of Johnson had been the subject of intense speculation, with the prime minister facing down a barrage of calls to resign from opposition lawmakers and even disgruntled members of his own party.

In a statement following the publication of the report, authored by Sue Gray, a civil servant appointed to lead the investigation, Johnson said he "accepted the general findings in full." He apologized "for the things we simply didn’t get right... [and] the way this matter has been handled."