INTERNATIONAL: The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party has said on Sunday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had broken the law and then lied about it over parties held inside his Downing Street residence during coronavirus lockdowns.

The British Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden has rejected calls for Johnson to resign but said he must address the culture within his government that has resulted in multiple staff gatherings at his residence during coronavirus lockdowns.

Johnson has apologised for attending a gathering in the garden of his Downing Street residence in May 2020 where staff had been invited to bring their own alcohol at a time when strict rules forbade the public from almost all socialising.

Amid a public backlash at the perception that the government did not follow its own rules during the pandemic, an internal investigation is looking at that party and several others - including two separate parties on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral.

The scandal has generated calls for Johnson to resign - including from within his own party - and seen the Conservatives fall far behind the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.