Thread by @jonlis1

Johnson apologises. Says he’s learned there are things they didn’t get right. Went into the garden to ‘thank’ people. Believed it was a work event. Rarely seen him look so serious. I guess it’s because for the first time he’s dealing with his own fate and not other people’s #PMQs

It changes absolutely nothing. It wasn’t a work event. He knew it wasn’t. And a week later he threw all his political capital at saving Cummings in a desperate attempt to save his own skin.

🚨🚨🚨Starmer says the R word 🚨🚨🚨

Johnson keeps saying they shouldn’t preempt the results of the inquiry, even though he’s just admitted he went to the fucking party

On the basis of the first few answers Johnson is absolutely finished.

Starmer notes the other people who’ve resigned over breaking the rules. ‘Why does the PM still believe the rules don’t apply to him?’

Starmer now in full prosecuting barrister mode. Pointing out Johnson’s repeated lines of defence being blown out of the water and saying public thinks he’s ‘lying through his teeth’. Ruled in order. Johnson preposterously attempting to take the high ground. Drastically flailing.

Starmer notes key fact: Johnson clearly breached the rules and clearly breached the ministerial code. ‘The party’s over. Will he do the decent thing as resign?’

Never seen Johnson behave like this. He looks shellshocked. No knockabout, no retaliation, no insults. He accepts Starmer is trying to remove him and seems to think it’s a fair cop.

Now Starmer brings in the story of a relative who looked Johnson in the eye in the Downing Street garden. Johnson looks devastated. It’s the most seriously he’s ever taken the entire pandemic.

That was absolutely crushing for Johnson. Starmer was direct, angry, and yes, forensic. Hardly any support from the benches behind him. And the key fact still looms large: it doesn’t matter if he apologised if he committed an actual crime.

Oof. Blackford: ‘the PM feels no shame for his actions.’ While people were grieving, he was ‘drinking and laughing in the Downing Street garden’.

Johnson thanks him for the comments. ‘I renew my contrition.’ Then manages to sneak in some BS about the vaccine rollout. Suspect that ain’t it, pal.

Stephen Farry (Alliance): ‘It’s too little, too late. If the prime minister wanted to apologise he could have done so at any time in the last 18 months, rather than wait until he got found out.’ 🎯

SNP MP: ‘He may not know how to be socially distant from others but he’s morally distant from the rest of us.’ Johnson now skips through the familiar refrain about the inquiry. Less contrition, more autopilot.

Camera catches Johnson wincing. He’s hating every single second. Labour MP attacks him and he rushes through the line ‘I repeat the answer I gave earlier.’ Key thing about this is it shows that he’s not actually interested in apologising - just in getting away with it.