U.K. leader orders probe amid anger over staff lockdown party

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday ordered an inquiry and said he was 'furious' after a leaked video showed senior members of his staff joking about holding a lockdown-breaching Christmas party.

The video has poured fuel on allegations that government officials flouted coronavirus rules they imposed on everyone else.

Johnson said that "I understand and share the anger up and down the country" at staff seeming to make light of lockdown rules.

"I was also furious to see that clip," Johnson told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "I apologize unreservedly for the offence that it has caused up and down the country and I apologize for the impression it gives."

For days, the prime minister's office has been trying to rebut reports that Johnson's staff held a December 2020 office party -- complete with wine, food, games and a festive gift exchange -- when pandemic regulations banned most social gatherings.