Ruth Davidson says Brits will ‘never forgive’ Johnson over Downing Street parties
The former leader of the Scottish Tory party has launched an attack on Boris Johnson over the latest allegations of a lockdown-breaking Downing Street party, saying the public will “never forgive” the Prime Minister.
Ruth Davidson said the latest allegations “make a mockery of this idea that we were doing a national endeavor to try and keep each other safe”.
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.
Speaking to the BBC today, Davidson said she couldn’t believe “how anyone, anyone, thought it was a good idea to organise it, to plan it, to turn up to it”, without raising serious objections.
“It’s not being a politician, it’s about being a human being that lived in the United Kingdom during this time,” she said.
“You know, if Number 10 doesn’t understand anger that is out there then they’re going to find out that anger pretty soon in the next couple of days, because everybody has some form of sacrifice, or somebody important in their life that gave a huge sacrifice, that will never forgive whatever went on, because it it just makes a mockery of this idea that we were doing a national endeavor to try and keep each other safe.”
Senior civil servant Sue Gray is currently investigating the many allegations of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street throughout 2020.
The latest 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.
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”.
Ellis insisted that he could not comment further on the nature of the allegation until Gray gave the findings of her investigation.
Number 10 is also refusing to comment on the allegations