Boris Johnson has told Greater Manchester residents, who were banned from mixing with other households indoors for a heartbreaking 391 days, he is 'sorry for any misjudgements' in the wake of 'partygate'.
For 289 days - except Christmas Day 2020 - Greater Manchester residents were banned from mixing with another household from July 30, 2020, until the penultimate easing of coronavirus restrictions on May 17 last year.
The region had already spent 102 days without being able to mix with another household indoors during the original lockdown from March 23, 2020.
Loved ones missed birthdays and celebrations, while many families lost the chance to share dying relatives' final days and grieve together.
Yet over the past two months, it has been revealed a string of 'parties' and 'gatherings' took place at Mr Johnson's home and workplace while Greater Manchester residents followed what were often the strictest measures in the country.
The first part of Sue Gray's report, released on Monday, outlined 16 gatherings - either in 10 Downing Street or the Cabinet Office at Whitehall - alleged to have taken place at a time the government's own rules did not allow them.
Twelve of the gatherings are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police, while a further report from civil servant Ms Gray is also expected.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News during a visit to Hopwood Hall College in Heywood on Thursday (February 3), Mr Johnson said he could not comment in detail on the gatherings due to the ongoing investigations.
But he praised residents of Greater Manchester for the way they dealt with the measures endured in the region - and apologised for anything that 'went wrong on his watch'.
Mr Johnson said: "I remember the heroism of Greater Manchester - the length of time everybody spent in lockdown - and I have lots of admiration for what people did.
"And it was vital - it helped us to keep the disease under control.
"As for the Sue Gray report and the current process, I can't go beyond anything that I've said for reasons I'm sure you'll understand.
"But I'm obviously sorry for any misjudgements I may have made or sorry if anything went wrong on my watch.
"But we'll have to wait and see what the conclusions are. I really can't preempt that."
So-called 'partygate' has caused considerable anger against the Prime Minister, both in Greater Manchester and beyond.
A poll carried out by the Manchester Evening News found that 82% of more than 1,200 respondents wanted to see Mr Johnson resign from his position.
Shoppers in Wythenshawe on Monday afternoon reacted with disgust at the Prime Minister following the release of the report.
One of those was Sally Duffy, from Wythenshawe, who lost her mum to cancer during the pandemic and was told the news that she had the terminal illness over the phone due to restrictions on visitors at the time.
She said: "Just holding your hands up and saying sorry after the whole country has been treated like fools is just not good enough.
"The position of those in power has been completely abused in my opinion. There is just no public trust in the government anymore, especially now this report has come out."
Sally added: "I think Boris has to go, but then it throws into question who else would sail the sinking ship."
During Prime Minister's Questions last week, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Johnson to step down over 'partygate'.
He said: "We now have the shameful spectacle of a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom being subjected to a police investigation, unable to lead the country and incapable of doing the right thing.
"Every day his cabinet failed to speak out, they become more and more complicit."
Meanwhile, a number of letters of no confidence against the Prime Minister have been handed in to Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs which could force a vote to oust Mr Johnson.
But Mr Johnson has so far been defiant in resisting calls to resign, both from the opposition and his own backbenchers, telling The Sun on Wednesday: "I am getting on with the job and I will do so for as long as I have the privilege and honour to serve in this position.”
