New Downing Street party allegation from May 2020 to be probed in official investigation
New allegations that Downing Street held a lockdown-breaking party for 40 members of staff in May 2020 will be probed by senior civil servant Sue Gray as a part of a wider investigation.
Paymaster general Michael Ellis today apologised “unreservedly for the upset that these allegations have caused” and that “if wrongdoing is established [in the probe] there will be requisite disciplinary action taken”.
A leaked email revealed yesterday that an invitation was sent by the Prime Minister’s Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds to more than 100 staff in Number 10, telling them to “bring your own booze!” to a party on 20 May.
ITV reports that around 40 staff attended the event in the Downing Street garden, including Boris and Carrie Johnson.
The government’s Covid rules on 20 May banned people from meeting more than one other person from outside their own household.
The email would appear to be the smoking gun that proves the Prime Minister knew about at least one of the events, despite a series of previous denials in the wake of numerous allegations of lockdown-breaking parties.
Ellis was grilled by opposition MPs today in the Commons about the latest revelation, with deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner saying “if the Prime Minister was there surely he knew … the invitation was sent to 100 staff, many of them his own most senior personal appointees”.
Labour backbencher Dame Angela Eagle quipped that “maybe it would be quicker for Sue Gray to investigate days when there weren’t Downing Street parties”.
Ellis insisted that he could not comment further on the nature of the allegation until Gray gave the findings of her investigation.
“The government has committed to publishing the findings of the investigations and providing these to parliament in the normal way,” he said.
“The terms of reference set out that where there are credible allegations relating to other gatherings, it is open for those to be investigated. I can confirm to the house that this includes the allegations relating to the 15th and 20th of May 2020.”
It comes after a photo of Johnson’s staff drinking wine and chatting in the Downing Street garden on 15 May 2020 emerged last month.
Downing Street said at the time that the event, which was attended by the Prime Minister, was a work meeting that only happened to involve wine and cheese.
There appears to be far less wriggle room with the 20 May revelation when Reynolds’ email is taken into account.
Reynolds, a civil servant who runs Johnson’s private office, writes in the email: “After what has been an incredibly busy period it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening.
“Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”