UK's Boris Johnson faces wrath of lawmakers over partygate

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing British lawmakers on Tuesday for the first time since he was fined by police for attending a birthday party in his office that broke coronavirus lockdown rules.

As the House of Commons returns from an 11-day Easter break, Johnson is expected to apologize for what he insists was a minor slip-up — but rebuff opposition calls to resign for flouting the restrictions that he imposed on the country during the pandemic.

Johnson and his allies argue that it would be wrong to change leaders while Britain faces crises including the war in Ukraine and a cost-of-living squeeze driven by surging energy and goods prices.

Johnson and his Conservative government have faced growing outrage since allegations surfaced late last year that he and his staff held office parties in 2020 and 2021 when millions in the country were barred from meeting with friends and family — or even attending funerals for their loved ones.

Johnson paid a 50-pound ($66) fine last week for attending his own surprise birthday party in Downing Street in June 2020. The penalty made Johnson the first British prime minister ever found to have broken the law while in office.

The fine followed a police investigation and a civil service probe into the “partygate” scandal. Johnson tried to bat away questions, first by saying there were no parties and then by insisting that he believed no rules were broken.

Opposition politicians accused Johnson of misleading Parliament, usually a resigning offense.

Cabinet Minister Brandon Lewis insisted Johnson wasn't a liar and had always stated “what he believes to be the truth.”

“What he said to Parliament he believed to be true at the time,” Lewis said.

Johnson’s grip on power had appeared to be on a knife-edge earlier this year...