COLCHESTER’S MP says he welcomes Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s apology after the publication of a report on Downing Street lockdown parties.

Mr Johnson has come under fire after 16 events took place over a number of dates between May 2020 and April 2021.

In senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report, she said several gatherings “should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did” and she identified “failures of leadership and judgment” in Downing Street.

Mr Quince told the Gazette: “People across the UK made extraordinary sacrifices throughout the pandemic to protect the NHS, the people closest to them, and our wider communities.

“Sue Gray has published an update on her report, which makes clear that standards in Number 10 were not as they should have been during the pandemic.

Read more: How Essex MPs and council leaders responded to Sue Gray's party report

“Rightly, the PM made a statement to Parliament this week where he took responsibility for what had happened, again offered a full and frank apology and set out a clear plan for changes to the inner-functioning of 10 Downing Street.

“I welcome these steps and believe constituents want me to continue my focus on my job as Member of Parliament for Colchester and Minister for Children and Families.”