Has Boris Johnson really been ‘humbled’ by the Gray report?

What is Boris Johnson actually accepting responsibility for when he says he is ‘humbled’ by Sue Gray’s report into partygate? Humility isn’t a word often used in connection with Boris Johnson, although it’s hardly valued at all in Westminster, so perhaps he is following a slightly different definition to the rest of us. Or perhaps his line that he is ‘humbled’, which he used again at his Downing Street press conference just now,  was written for him which is why he delivered it with a lack of conviction.

He certainly doesn’t seem to be accepting responsibility for attending leaving parties for staff: this afternoon, he once again defended this as being an important part of leadership. Most good bosses would normally agree that it’s important for morale to show your appreciation for an outgoing member of staff. The trouble is that most good bosses were running their staff leaving dos over Zoom from their homes, in accordance with the rules that were being set out and reinforced in Downing Street press conferences (on at least one occasion one such press conference coincided with a party in another part of the building).