UK PM Johnson wins breathing space from 'partygate' woes

London: Caught partying during a pandemic, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson bought himself some breathing space with an apology and a promise to change. But his troubles are far from over.

Johnson was battling to rally a rancorous Conservative Party on Tuesday after an inquiry slammed failures at the top that led to Downing Street staff holding boozy parties while the country was in lockdown.

He told lawmakers in Parliament I get it, and I will fix it, promising to overhaul the way his office runs after senior civil servant Sue Gray found in her partial report that failures of leadership and judgment allowed events to occur that should not have been allowed to take place.

Johnson addressed scores of Conservative legislators behind closed doors on Monday night, assuring them he took criticisms seriously and promising to get a tighter grip on a Downing Street operation that Gray found was marked by excessive drinking and dysfunctional dynamics.

Johnson was rallying his Cabinet at its weekly meeting on Tuesday before flying to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab defended Johnson on Tuesday, saying: He believes he acted in good faith on the advice he had at all times.