UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has reportedly admitted attending some of 10 Downing Street’s lockdown parties, and the Indian-origin minister has acknowledged that the actions senior political leadership during the lockdown has left public trust in the government damaged.

Speaking to the BBC, Sunak said that public confidence in the government had been damaged and it was up to leaders and politicians to take steps to restore that.

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“I can appreciate people’s frustration. And I think it’s now the job of all of us in government, all politicians, to restore people’s trust,” said the 41-year-old.

Sunak, who lives next door to embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is reported to have been in attendance of a 10 Downing Street party that took place in June 2020, and has reportedly admitted the same according to the Mirror.

When the BBC asked Sunak whether he had been aware of multiple parties taking place while the rest of the UK were subject to strict lockdown measures, the 41-year-old replied, “People seem to think that I’m spending all my time there staring out of this window behind me… [But] I spent half my time in the Treasury, as well as working here.”

Sunak is tipped to become the next Prime Minister should Boris Johnson resign, but the 41-year-old quelled all talk of Johnson’s resignation and said that the embattled Prime Minister had his “full support.”

Responding to suggestions that he could be next in line for the post, Sunak said, “Well, that’s very kind of them to suggest that. But what I think people want from me is to focus on my job.”

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“I know a few of my colleagues have said that and they’ll have their reasons for doing that. But I don’t think that’s the situation we’re in. The prime minister has my full support,” the 41-year-old clarified.

Sunak’s comments come mere days after five of Johnson’s aids, including Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfield, long-standing policy chief Munira Mirza, Director of Communications Jack Doyle, and Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds, resigned within hours of each other on Thursday in light of the revelations about the partygate scandal.