Stanley Johnson pleaded that he is not “100 per cent up to speed” on the rules after getting caught without a face mask in a supermarket.
The Prime Minister’s father said he was “extremely sorry” for failing to cover his face at a newsagents in West London on Tuesday.
It comes after Boris Johnson urged the public to comply with the coronavirus measures in a televised briefing, adding: “Bear in mind that the fines are now very considerable and they will be imposed.”
Hope you're all wearing facemasks, just a shame a few people think they are above the rules just like Stanley Johnson. pic.twitter.com/piZUIdko1c
— Mark Cunliffe (@MarkCunliffe76) September 30, 2020
Play dumb
But Johnson Snr could have stumbled upon a new defence if you are caught with your mask down.
Speaking to The Mirror, he said:
“I was maybe not 100 per cent up to speed but that was my first day back in England after three weeks not in England.
“So they (the rules) may have changed in that time. I’m not really a big shopping man.
“I’m extremely sorry for the slip up and I would urge absolutely everybody to do everything they can to make sure they do follow the rules about masks and social distancing.
“The fact this was my first day back in the UK after three weeks abroad is, I am sure, no excuse for not knowing the rules.”
Stanley Johnson's excuse for not wearing a mask in shops was he'd been abroad for three weeks and "didn't know the rules".
— Will Black (@WillBlackWriter) September 30, 2020
If only there was someone in his family who could have kept him up to speed! Maybe even someone who "came close to dying" of the virus not so long ago pic.twitter.com/wGLuYQeTIP
North East
Earlier this week the Prime Minister was forced to apologise for getting the new lockdown rules for the North East wrong – just hours after another minister admitted not knowing whether friends can meet in pub gardens.
Floundering, the prime minister struggled to explain how restrictions will work, falsely stating that households could still mix indoors in groups of six.
He was quickly forced to take to Twitter to clear up the confusion, claiming to have misspoken and households will not be allowed to mix indoors regardless of numbers.
Related: PMQs 30th Sept – ‘Yapping, bumbling and mumbling’ Johnson blows hot air over friend and foe