Downing Street staff allegedly boozed ‘excessively’ at two leaving parties the night before the Queen was forced to grieve alone at the Duke of Edinburgh’s Covid-secure funeral last year, it has emerged tonight.
Government advisers and civil servants drank large amounts of alcohol and danced in No10’s basement and gardens after work on Friday, April 16, 2021 to mark the departure of Boris Johnson’s press chief James Slack and one of the Prime Minister’s personal photographers, according to The Telegraph.
Eyewitnesses claimed that around 30 people attended the two gatherings, which were held in different parts of the Downing Street complex before combining in the garden.
It is alleged that one of the groups moved outside at around midnight because of a fear that too much wine was spilling on the basement carpet as they danced. The paper reported that a No10 figure even ‘had a go’ on a child’s swing belonging to Mr Johnson’s son Wilf — and broke it.
That Friday, Britain was in a period of public mourning over the death of Prince Philip, the nation’s longest-serving consort and the Queen’s husband of more than 70 years.
With the country in Step 2 of a strict lockdown roadmap which barred indoor mixing, mourners were told not to leave flowers and a book of condolence was set up online to ‘reduce the risk of transmission’ of Covid from physical signings.
That Saturday, Her Majesty was forced to sit alone in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle while wearing a black face covering while bidding farewell to the duke. Just 30 mourners were allowed to attend, and all had to keep two metres apart.
Covid restrictions in place in England at the time clearly stated: ‘You must not socialise indoors except with your household or support bubble. You can meet outdoors, including in gardens, in groups of six people or two households.’
A No10 spokesman insisted that Mr Johnson was not in Downing Street that day, having left for the Chequers country estate on Thursday evening and staying there through to Saturday.
Any defence will likely rely on the claim that the gatherings were for work rather than socialising. At a stormy PMQs on Wednesday, Mr Johnson confessed that he spent 25 minutes at a ‘BYOB’ party on May 20, 2020 during the first national lockdown, but insisted that he thought it was a ‘work event’ and was allowed under the rules in place at the time.
However, tonight’s bombshell allegations — the first that any lockdown-busting parties took place in 2021 — will pile further pressure on the embattled PM, who is fighting for his political life over the ‘Partygate’ scandal.
The Prime Minister's political opponents have seized on the timing of the announcement to suggest Mr Johnson's powerbase in Downing Street is further crumbling on the day the Tories fell 10 points behind Labour in a new YouGov poll.
With the PM on the ropes, and losing a top advisor, it also emerged:
The embattled PM axed a Red Wall visit where he would have faced more questions about Partygate after a family member tested positive for Covid; Scotland Yard still refuses to probe 'partygate' bash after Mr Johnson admitted he was there for 25 minutes but 'implicitly' believed it was a 'work event' in 'carefully-worded' apology; Mr Johnson apologised privately to Tory MPs in the Commons tearoom for 'all the c**p I've put you through', but insisted it was 'not his fault'; Sajid Javid praised JVT and declares Covid self-isolation is being cut to five full days as long as people test negative on day five and six in bid to ease pressure of staff absences from Omicron wave; A YouGov poll for The Times has laid bare the scale of the damage being suffered by the Government, showing the Tories slumping five points to just 28 per cent in less than a week. Labour has crept up to 38 per cent; Tories turn on Rishi Sunak who was in Devon during PMQs and waited eight hours to pledge support for the Prime Minister in a short tweet.
Downing Street staff allegedly boozed ‘excessively’ at two leaving parties the night before the Queen was forced to grieve alone her own at the Duke of Edinburgh’s Covid-secure funeral last year
Tonight’s bombshell allegations — the first that any lockdown-busting parties took place in 2021 — will pile further pressure on the embattled PM, who is fighting for his political life over the ‘Partygate’ scandal. Pictured, an image of an alleged lockdown-busting party in No10 on May 15, 2020
At a stormy PMQs on Wednesday, Mr Johnson confessed that he spent 25 minutes at a ‘BYOB’ party on May 15, 2020 during the first national lockdown, but insisted that he thought it was a ‘work event’ and was allowed under the rules in place at the time
The limp mea culpa in the Commons and so-called ‘Operation Save Boris’ from allies have failed to quell mounting fury among the public and on the Conservative benches, with a handful of MPs now openly demanding Mr Johnson quits.
But Mr Johnson’s allies have urged his critics to wait for the findings of an official investigation into illicit gatherings before passing judgment.
The Telegraph reported that the party for the departing photographer mostly took place in the No10 basement. It is alleged that there was a ‘party atmosphere’, with a laptop placed on a photocopier and music blaring out.
It is claimed that Shelley Williams-Walker, Mr Johnson’s head of operations, was in charged of the music at various points and nicknamed ‘DJ SWW’ — an allegation not yet denied by Downing Street.
As the evening dragged on, those celebrating the photographer’s departure allegedly headed to Downing Street’s vast gardens.
The paper also said a senior figure insisted they had cautioned against holding a leaving do for Mr Slack, but that the advice ultimately was not taken.
A No 10 spokesperson said of Mr Slack’s farewell event: ‘On this individual’s last day he gave a farewell speech to thank each team for the work they had done to support him, both those who had to be in the office for work and on a screen for those working from home.’ The spokesperson declined to comment on the photographer’s leaving do.
Earlier on Thursday, the PM dramatically cancelled a planned visit to a vaccination centre in Lancashire, where he would have faced questions from the media about his actions, because a family member tested positive for Covid.
The situation will keep him out of the public eye, with Downing Street saying he would follow advice to limit contacts ‘up to and including Tuesday of next week’ despite not having to self-isolate because he is vaccinated.
Ms Gray is examining a series of
