A Conservative MP has sparked a fresh partygate row after suggesting that NHS workers also broke Covid rules during the pandemic.
Richard Bacon, who has held the safe seat of South Norfolk since 2001, tried to justify boozy lockdown-busting parties in Boris Johnson’s Government by implying that health staff across the UK also flouted the restrictions.
Speaking to BBC regional news programme Look East, he said: ‘I am not happy with the revelations, but I think they were working under huge pressure – you haven’t investigated it, but there are 1.5million people who work in the NHS and I bet if you tried hard enough you could find some people letting their hair down who had been working 24-7.
‘We were under extraordinary pressure in a global pandemic and we didn’t really know what we were dealing with.’
He added: ‘The fact he [Mr Johnson] goes round thanking his staff for working very, very hard, 18 hours a day trying to keep the show on the road while we were in a global pandemic, is not a crime and I don’t think it is something he should be condemned for and I certainly don’t think it is something he should resign for – I support Boris.’
Seizing on Mr Bacon’s remarks, Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called on the MP to apologise for his ‘grotesque insult’.
Richard Bacon MP (pictured) has suggested NHS staff also broke Covid rules
Boris Johnson gesturing in 10 Downing Street during a lockdown-busting gathering on the departure of a special adviser, in London, November 13, 2020, in this picture obtained from Sue Gray’s partygate report published on May 25, 2022
Seizing on Mr Bacon’s remarks, Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called on the MP to apologise for his ‘grotesque insult’
Former England ace Gary Lineker raged: ‘Hospitals are really big buildings. Nurses and doctors were working really long hours. Some of them, no doubt, left their jobs and, yet, somehow still managed not to have a party after work and follow the rules that they didn’t actually make’
One social media user called Mr Bacon’s comments a ‘poor take of the day’, while another thundered: ‘Disgraceful comment from #RichardBacon MP’
Also taking to Twitter, former England ace Gary Lineker raged: ‘Hospitals are really big buildings. Nurses and doctors were working really long hours. Some of them, no doubt, left their jobs and, yet, somehow still managed not to have a party after work and follow the rules that they didn’t actually make’.
One social media user called Mr Bacon’s comments a ‘poor take of the day’, while another thundered: ‘Disgraceful comment from #RichardBacon MP, an insult to all #NHS workers. I need to declare an interest as a member of my family works in the NHS, and I find his comments sickening, insulting and arrogant’.
Another added: ‘I have never been so angry about comments about our NHS workers then this fool has been made.’
Sue Gray’s partygate report laid bare the raucous culture of drinking that led to lockdown breaches in Downing Street, including boozy fights, vomiting and even karaoke bashes.
However, others called the 37-page dossier – which contained nine photos including those of Mr Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak at the PM’s lockdown-busting birthday party in June 2020 – a ‘damp squib’. And the ‘coup threat’ to the Tory leader appearing to have eased.
Its publication also led to fresh claims of a ‘cover-up’ after it emerged Ms Gray abandoned her investigation into an ‘Abba party’ in the Downing Street flat the night Dominic Cummings was ousted in November 2020, judging it was not ‘appropriate or proportionate’ to probe the bash after Scotland Yard launched its investigation.
The PM yesterday refused to resign despite accepting the ‘bitter and painful’ conclusions of the senior official’s inquiry that revealed lurid details of partying in Government and of a ‘failure of leadership’.
He bullishly renewed his apology for lockdown breaches in Whitehall, but stressed that he had been ‘working’ as he denied knowing about raucous behaviour by aides.
He played down the significance of his own fine, saying his offence had been to ‘stand by his desk’ in his birthday while eating snacks with wife Carrie, Mr Sunak and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.
Quizzed by the 1922 committee of Tory MPs behind closed doors last night, he justified attending Downing Street leaving dos by saying it was his ‘duty’.
He insisted it was necessary to meet with departing No10 officials to ‘thank them for their service’, while adding that it was ‘one of the essential duties of leadership’.
In this handout photo taken on June 19, 2020, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak at a lockdown-busting birthday party in the Cabinet Room, issued on May 25, 2022
Boris Johnson holding a news conference in response to the publication of the Sue Gray report at Downing Street in London, May 25, 2022
According to one Conservative source, the PM is reported to have said that Downing Street staff were not ‘partying as if it was Saturday night in July in Ibiza, they were actually working extremely hard – flat out’.
The PM said that, after months of investigations, it was now time to ‘move on’ and ‘focus on the priorities of the British people… easing the hardship caused by the rising costs people are facing’.
Mr Johnson told MPs he had been ‘appalled’ by lurid details of bad behaviour by officials at drunken parties. But he said it had been his duty to gather staff to ‘briefly’ attend leaving dos for senior officials working flat out on the pandemic – and he said this view had been ‘vindicated by the investigation’.
The PM also turned the tables on Keir Starmer, who called on the PM to ‘pack his bags’, despite the fact he himself is under police investigation for an alleged breach of lockdown rules.
In a reference to the Labour leader’s beer and curry event with activists in Durham last year, Mr Johnson mocked his opponent as ‘Sir Beer Korma’.
DAN WOOTTON: Sue Gray delivered a damp squib Partygate investigation lacking anything close to a smoking gun. Despite wall-to-wall BBC hysteria, the country and Boris now deserve the chance to move on
Six months of wall-to-wall media hysteria.
Constant opposition calls – even from lockdown beer swilling and curry munching Slippery Starmer – to overturn Boris Johnson’s landslide 2019 election mandate.
Even claims from the apparently impartial ITV News political editor Robert Peston that the UK is heading towards an ‘elected dictatorship’ if the PM isn’t forced from office immediately and presumably replaced with a more ‘acceptable’ lockdown loving remoaner.
The Sue Gray report into what’s become known as ‘Partygate’ must have been pretty goddamn sensational to justify such ongoing hysteria from our MSM, right?
Especially at a time of a European war, once-in-a-generation pandemic recovery and unparalleled cost-of-living crisis…
Hardly!
She’s just delivered a damp squib, lacking anything close to a smoking gun that would encourage disloyal Tory MPs to depose BoJo.
A group of pictures released by Sue Gray show the PM’s birthday party in June 2020 – over which he was fined along with Rishi Sunak and his wife Carrie
Sue Gray’s long-awaited reported was finally published in full today after several months of waiting
For me, this entire farce is about perspective.
I was as effing livid as anyone last December when the initial reports emerged of officials at Number 10 Downing Street quaffing champagne while we were told to cower in our homes.
But I wasn’t surprised.
The lockdown laws were the most unprecedented and frankly disgusting theft of our civil liberties and freedom in modern history.
They were inhumane and should have been unconscionable anywhere outside of communist China and North Korea.
None of our so-called leaders – be it Boris or Starmer or Sturgeon – followed them.
None of us should have followed them either.
But somehow today in the frenzied big screen analysis on Sly News of the exact positioning of the orange juice, apples, M&S sandwiches and, yes, empty alcohol bottles at a miserable looking Number 10 ‘gathering’, that point has been missed.
Now I’ve read all 49 pages of the report.
It paints an unsurprising picture of out of touch government officials with no idea of the hardships they had inflicted on ordinary folk.
But it’s lacking in anything like the picture of Ibiza-style parties the MSM have painted.
For example, The Guardian’s so-called bombshell photo showing groups in the Downing Street garden on May 15 2020 was, in fact, a series of legitimate outdoor meetings, something encouraged at the time. The PM, who was there from 6pm to 7.20pm, had brought down cheese and wine from his home, which uniquely doubles as his workplace.
The garden party on May 20 2020, when we were only legally allowed to meet with one person outdoors, was an inexcusable oversight. But the event was clearly not organised with malicious intent – the idea was to celebrate Number 10 staff, who had been working around the clock, outdoors in a ‘socially distanced’ manner, given the good weather.
Pictured: Dan Wootton
Like at all the other work events, the PM was there only briefly, in this case between 6pm and 6.30pm, to thank the up to 40 staff who had gathered in the garden.
But the infamous ‘bring your own booze’ note by the PM’s Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds, who seemed to be party organiser in chief, rightly sealed his fate – he was part of a clear out of the management at Number 10.
As I read through the various WhatsApp messages and emails, it does indicate the staff at Number 10 had no idea of the sacrifices so many of us were making at that point by locking ourselves indoors on our own.
But, aside from one or two junior staffers who couldn’t handle their booze, the ‘parties’ were largely leaving drinks for departing colleagues or Christmas Zoom quizzes, where the staff who weren’t working from home took part in person.
At the leaving do for his departing Director of Communications Lee Cain on November 13 2020, for example, Boris was in attendance briefly at 7.17pm, before joining his wife and five special advisers upstairs in the Downing Street flat for the so-called Abba-themed Winner Takes It All meeting, following the exit of Dominic Cummings.
At another leaving do on November 27, the PM gave a short speech between meetings at 6.19pm and 6.45pm. The departing staff member had left the building herself by 6.58pm.
At the Zoom Quiz on December 11 2020, where in person staff were ordered to follow social distancing rules, the Prime Minister joined at 7.50pm to read out the questions for one of the rounds, staying for a grand total of 12 minutes before returning to work in his office.
Gray’s report made obvious to me the need for human contact while at work. In normal times, all the gatherings would have been completely understandable and posed no risk to anyone’s health, given these folk had been working together all day anyway. It’s a right that should have been extended to the rest of the country.
The most damning line from Gray actually related to the treatment of Downing Street cleaners and security guards.
Deploying a ‘masochism strategy’, the Prime Minister will ‘take responsibility’ for lockdown rule-breaking in Downing Street, which is set to be savaged in the much-anticipated report (Johnson is pictured toasting during a Downing St event in November 2020)
She wrote: ‘I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. This was unacceptable.’
Shame on those people, who should take a long hard look at themselves.
But what really matters in the report is the ‘gathering’ in the Cabinet room on June 19 2020, the only incident for which Boris (and his Chancellor Rishi Sunak) have received a fixed penalty notice from the Met police.
The published photos make clear it was not a party – there’s no birthday cake in sight.
In fact, all I could see was a bunch of crusty M&S sandwiches and sad looking fruit, and an equally uncomfortable looking Chancellor, who no doubt just wanted to get on with his next meeting.
Critically, Gray confirms Boris and Rishi were ‘not aware of this event in advance’ and it did not form part of the day’s official diary.
She explains: ‘(Boris) returned from an external visit to No 10 Downing Street at approximately 2.20pm and was taken into the Cabinet Room which had been set up with sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks and cans of beer.’
Gray reports the gathering lasted for just 20 minutes, with the PM’s wife Carrie Johnson in attendance.
Rishi was only there ‘briefly’ because he ‘arrived early’ for the next meeting.
I’m sorry, if anyone is prepared to argue that a 20-minute presentation of some crappy sandwiches between meetings is genuinely reason to throw the country into chaos at a time of economic crisis then they’re nothing more than a partisan shill.
When this scandal emerged, I was clear that to regain my faith Boris had to free Britain fully from the Covid tyranny that has haunted us for much of the last two years.
So far, he has delivered on that front, with England the freest country in the western world.
I am literally exhausted with talking about these low-level rule breaking gatherings involving a few civil servants, many of whom have already fallen on their sword.
Our country deserves better than a campaigning mainstream media, led by the publicly funded BBC, who will stop at nothing to remove the Prime Minister from office.
Of course, there should be scrutiny. But nobody can tell me the official scrutiny of these events has been anything other than exhaustive.
There was no smoking gun in the Met police investigation, nor in Gray’s fully published report today.
Partygate was wrong, but it’s also over.
The country and Boris deserve the chance to move on.
Revealed: The full details of Sue Gray’s findings on each of the ‘parties’ she examined
May 15, 2020 – Boris’s ‘cheese and wine’ party in the No10 garden was just a ‘work meeting’
The Prime Minister and his wife – apparently holding their newborn baby, Wilf – were seen sitting at a table with two people while another 13 were pictured with bottles of alcohol nearby at a table and on the lawn on Friday May 15, 2020.
The pictures, taken by an unknown person within the Downing Street complex, caused uproar when they were released late last year.
Ms Gray, in her report today, revealed that it was the PM himself who brought wine and cheese from his flat out to the garden.
But she also cleared him of wrongdoing, saying: ‘At a table on the terrace, the Prime Minister, Martin Reynolds (his Principal Private Secretary), and Dominic Cummings (his senior adviser) were continuing a lengthy meeting that had started in the Prime Ministers office, before moving to the garden at around 18.00.
‘The Prime Minister brought cheese and wine from his flat. The outdoor part of the meeting lasted for 40 minutes to an hour and they were briefly joined by the Prime Ministers wife, during which time the photograph was taken.
‘Martin Reynolds subsequently returned to the office to continue working. The Prime Minister remained in the garden until around 19.20.’
‘There is a further group of four individuals sitting at a table on the terrace. It ha s not been possible to identify these individuals, but there is no reason to suggest that this was anything other than a further work meeting.’
May 20: Bring your own booze garden party that No10 thought it ‘got away with’
A leaked email from senior civil servant Martin Reynolds to around 200 Downing Street employees invited them to ‘bring your own booze’ for an evening gathering.
It followed a press conference in which then Health Secretary Matt Hancock had warned people to take precautions against catching the virus.
It read: ‘Hi all, After what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of this lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the garden this evening. Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!’
The PM has admitted attending the gathering, which amounted to between 30 and 40 people. He previously insisted he believed it was a work event which could ‘technically’ have been within the rules. No10 told Sue Gray the event was for ‘boosting staff morale following a challenging period for staff’ during the pandemic.
The report found that he attended for around 30 minutes before returning to his office for a 6.30pm meeting.
Ms Gray was handed further emails sent around inside No 10 beforehand that highlight the excitement at what was to come.
One No10 adviser replied: ‘Drinks this eve is a lovely idea so I’ve shared with the E & V team who are in the office. Just to flag that the press conference will probably be finishing around that time, so helpful if people can be mindful of that as speakers and cameras are leaving, not walking around waving bottles of wine etc.’
She said that Mr Reynolds replied: ‘Will do my best!….’
However others urged caution. One No 10 Director declined the invitation and told the investigation that they had raised with either Martin Reynolds or his office that it was not a good idea.
Also, Lee Cain, at that time No 10’s director of communications emailed Martin Reynolds saying: ‘I’m sure it will be fine – and I applaud the gesture – but a 200 odd person invitation for drinks in the garden of no 10 is somewhat of a comms risk in the current environment.’
Ms Gray added: ‘Lee Cain says he subsequently spoke to Martin Reynolds and advised him that the event should be cancelled. Martin Reynolds does not recall any such conversation. In addition, Dominic Cummings has also said that he too raised concerns, in writing. We have not found any documentary evidence of this.’
The report found that after the party Mr Reynolds sent a message to an adviser suggesting they had ‘got away with’ the event because no one had raised public questions.
Scotland Yard handed out fines to some of those who attended this event.
June 18, 2020: Karaoke, fighting and vomiting at leaving ‘drinks that are not drinks’
Officials partied and sang karaoke to mark the departure of a No10 aide. In an astonishing development the report reveals that Helen MacNamara, the Deputy Cabinet Secretary, and a former ethics chief, was the person who brought the karaoke machine.
The event was apparently held to mark the departure of a Number 10 private secretary. Gatherings of to or more persons indoors and more than six outdoors were prohibited at the time. It started in the Cabinet Room, where there were booze and speeches as people socialised for around an hour.
Later, the report confirms, they moved on to the offices of Cabinet Secretary Simon Case in 70 Whitehall, where there was ‘alcohol, food and music’.
Ms Gray reported: ‘The event lasted for a number of hours. There was excessive alcohol consumption by some individuals. One individual was sick. There was a minor altercation between two other individuals.’
Mr Reynolds is again at the heart of this event. In a Whatsapp exchange released by Ms Gray, he clearly is aware that the event would breach rules and potentially be a PR disaster.
Speaking with Mr Cain he asked: ‘Is it safer to do a larger event indoors but with some people carrying on outside afterwards?
Cain replied: ‘I’m not sure it works at all to be honest, which would be a shame. I don’t see how we can have some kind of party though..’
Asked by Reynolds if they should scrap the idea, Cain adds: ‘Its your decision my friend, not mind [sic]! But it obviously comes with rather substantial comms risks.’
Another adviser emailed Reynolds with a question about ‘your drinks which aren’t drinks’.
June 19: Boris Johnson’s surprise birthday party – with cake and fines
Downing Street admitted staff ‘gathered briefly’ in the Cabinet Room after a meeting.
The PM, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have all received fines for attending.
Ms Gray today released pictures of the PM and Chancellor at the event. The PM is shown with a beer in his hand.
Despite some attempts by officials to suggest there was no cake, a celebratory sponge is explicitly mentioned in messages.
Former No10 aide Cleo Watson told the inquiry she was asked to arrange the party, but does not say who by. Mrs Johnson has been accused of arranging it as a surprise for his 56th birthday.
Beforehand she messaged Mr Reynolds, saying: ‘Hi! PM birthday today – we’ve organised some sandwiches and cake for about 1pm in the Cabinet Room if anyone from your team would like to pop in and wish him a happy birthday.’
Ms Gray today released pictures of the PM and Chancellor at the event. The PM is shown with a beer in his hand.
The PM, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have all received fines for attending.
Former No10 aide Cleo Watson told the inquiry she was asked to arrange the party, but does not say who by. Mrs Johnson has been accused of arranging it as a surprise for his 56th birthday.
Mr Reynolds later sent an email of his own, saying: ‘For the PMs birthday today we are having sandwiches and cake in the Cabinet room so do come along and wish the PM happy birthday.’
But Ms Gray pointed out the PM was unaware of the event in advance and it was not in his official diary.
‘He returned from an external visit to No10 Downing Street at approximately 14.20 and was taken into the Cabinet Room which had been set up with sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks and cans of beer,’ she said.
‘Those attending included No 10 officials and Mrs. Johnson. The Permanent Secretary for Covid and Pandemic Response, Simon Case, attended for a short period having arrived early for a meeting which was due to take place in the Cabinet room.
‘The Chancellor was also there briefly having also arrived early for the same meeting. He had no advance knowledge about what had been planned.
‘The event lasted between 14.25 and 14.45, throughout which the Prime Minister was present. Those attending consumed food and drink, and some drank alcohol. There are photographs of the event.’
November 13: Lee Cain’s ‘Wine Time Friday’ leaving do and the Abba party
Dominic Cummings and his ally Mr Cain were ousted in December 2020 after losing a power battle with Mrs Johnson. And leaving drinks were held for the former, hours after Mr Cummings was pictured walking out of No10 with a box of his belongings.
This was during the second national lockdown, and the rules at the time ‘prohibited indoor gatherings of two or more people from other households except for permitted exceptions, including where the gathering is reasonable necessary for work purposes’.
Officials said that while the event in question was not planned in advance, it happened around the same time as the press and media team usually held a regular ‘wine time Friday’.
Mr Johnson attended and gave a speech to Mr Cain, who had worked with him on the Vote Leave campaign and then later when he was foreign secretary.
The report notes: ‘Wine had been provided and those attending, including the Prime Minister, were drinking alcohol.’
Fines were later handed out to some of those attending the party, but not the Prime Minister.
Dominic Cummings and his ally Mr Cain were ousted in December 2020 after losing a power battle with Mrs Johnson.
And leaving drinks were held for the former, hours after Mr Cummings was pictured walking out of No10 with a box of his belongings.
Mr Johnson attended and gave a speech to Mr Cain, who had worked with him on the Vote Leave campaign and then later when he was foreign secretary.
Later on, Mr Johnson was accused of attending a party with loud Abba music in the No11 flat he shared with his family, to celebrate the ousting of Mr Cain and Mr Cummings.
But Ms Gray described the event as ‘a meeting …to discuss the handling of their departure’ and revealed she did not seek to probe it in great detail.
‘Five special advisers attended. The Prime Minister joined them at about 20.00. Food and alcohol were available,’ she said.
‘The discussion carried on later into the evening with attendees leaving at various points. The information collected on this gathering is limited as the process of obtaining evidence had only just been commenced when the Metropolitan Police announced their own investigations, which included events on the 13 November 2020.
‘At this point I stopped my investigation, given the need to avoid any prejudice to the police investigation.
‘Following the Metropolitan Police announcement on 19 May 2022 I considered whether or not to conduct any further investigation into this event but concluded it was not appropriate or proportionate to do so.’
November 27: PM attends impromptu boozy gathering to say goodbye to aide
A gathering of 15 to 20 people was organised at short notice to mark the departure of a No10 aide. Reports suggested it was for Ms Watson, an ally of Mr Cummings.
She had gone to the press office to say goodbye to people at their desks. But there was later a flurry of messages between aides, including one saying: ‘Were [sic] ill you be in 20 minutes?’
The report noted: The Prime Minister finished a meeting at 18.19 and then attended the Press Office to say goodbye. He remained for a short time, saying a few words of thanks and farewell, before returning to his office for his next meeting which was scheduled for 18.45.’
December 10: Gavin Williamson attends socially distanced ‘festive drinks’ at the Department for Education
An hour-long event with alcohol was held so the then secretary of state, Gavin Williamson, could thank staff for their hard work ahead of the Christmas break.
It was held in the staff canteen, because it was better ventilated than the offices originally earmarked. An email sent to around 50 staff three days beforehand set out what was planned.
‘We’re planning on having some socially distanced festive drinks in the canteen on Thursday. It would be great if you could join us,’ it said.
An hour-long event with alcohol was held so the then secretary of state, Gavin Williamson, could thank staff for their hard work ahead of the Christmas break.
‘This is open to Private Office staff and ministers if they are around. For those working at home there are plans for a Christmas Divisional where people will be able to dial in and have a Virtual Festive gathering.’
The report noted: ‘At the event there was wine, some of which, along with mince pies, was provided by the Secretary of State and his Private Office.
‘The Secretary of State thanked staff at the event, leaving shortly afterwards to travel back to his constituency. Some people remained in the canteen for a short period. The event lasted around 60 minutes.’
Mr Williamson ran Boris Johnson’s Tory leadership campaign in 2019, having been previously fired by Theresa May when he was defence secretary, over leaks from a top secret meeting.
He was again axed last September in a Cabinet reshuffle, having faced criticism and calls to resign after overseeing months of Covid schools chaos and the exam result fiasco in 2020 and 2021.
When his removal was confirmed, Labour’s Angela Rayner described him as a ‘prat’. He was later handed a knighthood.
December 15: Downing Street’s online Christmas Party – with staff told to TAKE pictures
Boris Johnson’s attendance at an online Christmas party in 2020 was revealed in a photo published by the Sunday Mirror last year.
Pictures show the Prime Minister sat under a portrait of Margaret Thatcher on-screen making a special appearance as ‘quizmaster’ for one of the rounds, flanked by staff wearing tinsel and Santa hats.
He is sat between two colleagues while London was under ‘no mixing’ guidance – and three days before the No10 Christmas party (below).
Pictures show the Prime Minister sat under a portrait of Margaret Thatcher on-screen making a special appearance as ‘quizmaster’ for one of the rounds, flanked by staff wearing tinsel and Santa hats.
Ms Gray’s report said that the event, including prize-giving, lasted three-and-a-half hours. ‘Alcohol and food was available in Downing Street and at 70 Whitehall, supplied and paid for by staff attending,’ she said.
In an email setting up the event, staff are told to ‘dress up for the festive season and get our cameras on!’ This appears to have backfired, with the leaking of incriminating images of the PM.
Up to 150 people, in person and online, are believed to have taken part.
Ms Gray added that the Pm stayed for around 12 minutes to act as quiz master for one of the rounds
‘This had been agreed in principle in advance and was confirmed on the day. This is not unusual, he was frequently called upon by his office to attend staff events,’ she said.
‘Some staff drank alcohol. A No 10 official sent a message on internal No 10 systems referring to drunkenness and advising staff to leave No 10 via the back exit.
‘The No 10 official informed the investigation team that they did this in order to avoid staff being photographed by the press outside.’
December 17, 2020: Prosecco bash for Covid task force chief where social distancing rules were ignored
Around 20 to 30 people attended a leaving do in the Cabinet Office, at 70 Whitehall, for a No10 official and Kate Josephs, a director general of the Covid task force.
Attendees had been invited to a ‘Covid secure’ event and staff were urged not to travel to the office for the bash unless they were otherwise planning to.
The report found the intention to follow social distancing guidance ‘did not happen’ as attendees gathered in small groups and mingled.
Around 20 to 30 people attended a leaving do in the Cabinet Office, at 70 Whitehall, for a No10 official and Kate Josephs, a director general of the Covid task force.
Prosecco, beer and crisps had been bought and music was played through a smartphone.
The event ‘began to wind down’ between 10pm to 10.30pm but a smaller group of around six to eight people remained.
Six pizzas were ordered for the group with some staying until past midnight.
Some joined with other Cabinet Office staff with the intention of joining another leaving event taking place in No10 that night.
December 18, 2020: A ‘wine and cheese evening’ in No10 with a ‘Secret Santa’ and a quiz – which ended with a red wine-covered wall amid ‘excessive’ drinking
Two days after London was moved into strict Tier 3 Covid restrictions, between 20 and 45 people gathered for a Christmas event in the No10 press office.
Attendees were invited to a ‘Wine & Cheese Evening’ , which was arranged to take place at the usual time of the press office’s weekly ‘Wine Time Friday’.
The boozy bash began at 6pm and saw Secret Santa gifts exchanged, a quiz, and an awards ceremony with certificates handed out by senior adviser Jack Doyle.
Around 7.45pm a panic alarm was accidently triggered by one staff member which saw security staff and a police officer respond.
The boozy bash began at 6pm and saw Secret Santa gifts exchanged, a quiz, and an awards ceremony with certificates handed out by senior adviser Jack Doyle.
They witnessed a ‘large number of people’ gathered in the area outside the main press office, with a further 15-20 people present inside.
The report found some staff ‘drank excessively’ at the ‘crowded and noisy’ event, which those working elsewhere in No10 at the time described as a ‘party’.
The event lasted for ‘several hours’ with some staff members remaining in the office until after midnight.
A cleaner who attended the room the next morning noted that there had been red wine spilled on one wall and on a number of boxes of photocopier paper.
The report found that ‘some work’ took place in the press office and No10 did take place while the event was underway, with officials working on negotiations on the Brexit trade deal and the Delta wave of Covid cases.
Prior to the event, WhatsApp messages between staff discussed the purchase of a fridge for the office.
January 14, 2021: PM’s speech at leaving do for No10 officials – which went on beyond 11pm
At the time of England’s third national lockdown, a leaving event took place in No10 for two officials with booze available.
It began around 6pm with around 15 people attending in person and up to 30 people joining virtually.
The PM attended for around 10 minutes in between meetings and gave a ‘short speech’ to thank the staff who were leaving.
There were also further speeches by other members of No10 staff.
Once they had finished, some people left but others remained to chat and drink with the event’s end time ‘unclear’, according to the report.
Sue Gray was told some of those present were still there beyond 11pm.
April 16, 2021: Leaving dos for the PM’s former spin chief and a No10 official on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral – which lasted until 4.20am
Two boozy bashes were held in Number 10 on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral – which saw a child’s swing broken in the Downing Street garden and the final partygoer leave at 4.20am.
One of the leaving events was held for the PM’s outgoing director of communications, James Slack, and another for an unnamed No10 official.
At the time, gatherings of two or more people indoors and more than six people outdoors were banned unless deemed ‘reasonably necessary’ for work purposes.
Just hours later, the Queen – observing Covid restrictions – was forced to sit alone at her husband’s funeral at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
One of the leaving events was held for the PM’s outgoing director of communications, James Slack, and another for an unnamed No10 official.
Just hours later, the Queen – observing Covid restrictions – was forced to sit alone at her husband’s funeral at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
The PM was not staying at No10 that night.
Sue Gray’s report found the parties lasted ‘for several hours’ in both No10 and the Downing Street garden.
The event for Mr Slack began around 6.30pm with speeches in the No10 press office, which lasted for around an hour.
Approximately 45 people were in attendance both in the office and a small number joining online.
Wine and beer had been bought by staff and attendees included senior officials.
Meanwhile, the second event for the other No10 official was held in the building’s basement and began around the same time with 15 to 20 people present, including a special adviser and more junior officials.
Wine was available, music was played from a laptop and the report found ‘a number of those present drank excessively’.
Attendees of the two events mingled and they eventually joined together in the Downing Street garden.
Shortly before 9.30pm there were more than 20 people gathered in the garden with a number of bottles of booze.
A child’s swing and slide set was damaged by staff leaning on it and playing with it.
As No10 began to be locked down for the evening, the group began to break up and returned to the main building around 9.30pm.
Some remained to carry on drinking until the early hours with some leaving after midnight and others between 1.45am and 2.45am.
Two members of staff stayed even later, with the last leaving at 4.20am.
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