An adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned, after a video showed her joking about a Christmas party at Downing Street last year while London was under lockdown.
Allegra Stratton said she had offered her resignation to Mr Johnson less than 20 hours after the video emerged.
Trying to hold back tears, the former ITV journalist offered her "profound apologies" for joking about the party during a rehearsal for a news conference - in which other aides asked her about the gathering, said to have taken place on December 18th last year.
However, she side-stepped the issue of whether the party did actually happen at a time when households in the British capital were prevented from mixing indoors.
She said: "The British people have made immense sacrifices in the battle against COVID-19.
"I now fear that my comments in the leaked video of the 20th of December have become a distraction from that fight.
"My remarks seemed to make light of the rules, rules that people were doing everything to obey. That was never my intention.
"I will regret those remarks for the rest of my days and offer my profound apologies to all of you for them. I understand the anger and frustration that people feel.
"To all of you who lost loved ones, endured intolerable loneliness and struggled with your businesses - I am sorry and this afternoon I have offered my resignation to the prime minister."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. Picture date: Wednesday July 14, 2021.In the footage of Ms Stratton from December last year, senior Downing Street aides can be heard jokingly referring to a "business meeting" and a "cheese and wine" event.
A few hours earlier, Mr Johnson apologised over the video and said he had asked UK Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to investigate whether the party took place - despite insisting he was "repeatedly assured" it had not.
He said that if rules were breached "then there will be disciplinary action for all those involved".
And he agreed to provide police with any information the government had about parties in Downing Street.
The UK's Metropolitan Police has said it is aware of the footage.
"I can understand how infuriating it must be to think that people who have been setting the rules have not been following the rules because I was also furious to see that clip," Mr Johnson said.
But he added: "I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no COVID rules were broken."
