Kim Leadbeater MP: Prime Minister Boris Johnson's No 10 lockdown party apology is not enough

Kim Leadbeater MP writes: It is hugely insensitive and an insult to the intelligence of the people of Batley and Spen and the country that he thinks he can hide behind an enquiry rather than admit that he broke the rules and broke the law.

I am devastated for those people who couldn’t visit sick or dying relatives or attend the funerals of those they had lost during lockdown. People who would have loved to have been able to see their friends and have a drink in the sunshine but didn’t because they were being responsible and obeying the law.

In May 2020 I was working alongside colleagues at the Jo Cox Foundation and volunteers across Batley and Spen to support people who were really struggling with the impact of the pandemic. People who were sticking to the rules, despite the huge impact on their families and their own well-being.

So I am sickened that Boris Johnson continues to refuse to do the right thing when it’s clear that he and his staff at Number 10 thought those same laws didn’t apply to them. Maybe they were working hard, but so were lots and lots of other people across the country who still managed to do as they were instructed in the interests of public health and the greater good.

The Prime Minister was in my constituency for the by-election when he said Matt Hancock was right to resign for breaking lockdown rules. If it was right for Mr Hancock then it’s right for Boris Johnson now.