British minister: I understand the hurt caused by lockdown party claims

for me to comment on those ongoing conversations or her ongoing investigation. We've got to give a space to conclude that investigation."

Allegations of parties at British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office will have caused hurt to people who lost loved ones to COVID-19 but there must be time for a full investigation to establish what happened, a minister said. "I can understand the hurt that these reports, these allegations, will have caused, particularly for those who've lost loved ones," junior health minister Edward Argar told Sky News on Tuesday following a new report of alleged rule breaking, adding it was right that Johnson had previously commissioned a civil servant to investigate similar allegations.

"It wouldn't be appropriate... for me to comment on those ongoing conversations or her ongoing investigation. We've got to give a space to conclude that investigation."