Boris Johnson has finally admitted he could have handled the Tory sleaze row "better" - but he still refused to apologise.
The Prime Minister made the admission at a Downing Street press conference after being grilled about his disastrous attempt to rip up standards rules to save Conservative MP Owen Paterson from being suspended from the Commons for breaking lobbying rules.
Amid a furious outcry, Mr Johnson withdrew his support for Mr Paterson who subsequently resigned as MP for North Shropshire.
But the PM's U-turn failed to quell the backlash, which has triggered a wave of sleaze allegations, including revelations that former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox voted by proxy while offering legal services in the Caribbean.
The messy handling of the affair has also led to renewed scrutiny over MPs' second jobs and second home arrangements.
Asked what he would say to people who think he had "got it wrong", Mr Johnson said: "I think I've said quite a lot about parliamentary stuff already.
"Of course, I think things could certainly have been handled better, let me put it that way, by me."
Mr Johnson has failed to apologise for his handling of the row - and skipped a debate in the Commons last week by visiting a hospital in Northumberland.
Tory MPs were ordered to block a 30-day suspension for Mr Paterson, imposed after the Commons Standards Committee found he had lobbied ministers on behalf of two firms.
Mr Johnson then U-turned the next day, leaving his humiliated MPs facing anger from their constituents.
Mr Paterson denied any wrongdoing but the committee described his breach of the rules as "egregious".
Mr Johnson also told the press conference that he had confidence in the independent parliamentary commissioner for standards Kathryn Stone after Cabinet Minister Kwasi Kwarteng suggested she should consider her position.
"I think the commissioner has a job to do and a huge amount of work to do and she needs to get on and be allowed to do it," he said.
"Now on whether the system is capable of improvement or not is a matter for the Standards Committee and for the House."
The PM warned MPs: "It's very important that all MPs work primarily, and above all, for their constituents.
"Anybody who lobbies on behalf of a commercial interest is clearly in breach of the rules.
"You can take from what I've said that all MPs should follow the rules, and I think that the rules are there to protect them, protect the public, they're very simple to understand, and we should just get on with it."
It comes as the fourth poll in less than a week suggested the Tories had lost their lead over Labour as the impact of sleaze allegations continues.
Opinium put Labour on 37% - one point ahead of the Tories - with Keir Starmer's party up by one, and the Conservatives down by one after a survey of more than 2,000 UK adults between Wednesday and Friday.
It is the first time an Opinium poll has had Labour in the lead since January, while the Prime Minister's approval rating slipped to a new low in one of the company's polls, with a net rating of minus 21%.
A recent Savanta ComRes poll put Labour six points ahead and a YouGov survey found the parties neck-and-neck.
A separate survey by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on Wednesday put Labour two points ahead of the Tories.
