The Prime Minister has defended the No 10 garden party during lockdown last May as “people at work, talking about work”.
Asked if he normally has meetings with cheese and wine, Boris Johnson said: “Those were people at work … This is where I live and where I work. Those were people at work, talking about work.”
Earlier today, in Dominic Raab’s latest gaffe, Mr Raab said Boris Johnson’s wine-and-cheese gathering with staff in the No 10 garden during lockdown was “after” work had finished, leaving No 10 struggling to explain the controversy.
The deputy PM undermined Downing Street’s defence of it as a work event by telling interviewers it was staff relaxing after “a gruelling day”.
Mr Johnson’s official spokesman later attempted to explain the situation, by arguing that the PM and his staff were “discussing work”, which happened to be “in the No 10 garden”. He also said drinking alcohol was fine because it was “post-normal work hours” – and yet, because it was still a “work meeting” it also complied with the Covid rules.
It comes as adults in Britain think it likely that the PM will not still be in office by the end of 2022, according to an opinion poll published by Ipsos Mori. Six out of ten people (62 per cent) believe Mr Johnson will be out of No 10 by this time next year, the data shows.
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Stay tuned for the latest updates as Boris Johnson faces more pressure amid fresh allegations of lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street.
Photo appears to show No 10 gathering during first lockdown
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has urged Boris Johnson to “tell us the truth” about gatherings at Downing Street as a photo emerged of the PM and staff gathering in the No 10 garden reportedly during the first national lockdown.
The Guardian and The Independent previously reported that Mr Johnson was present for 15 minutes at the gathering following a Covid press conference on 15 May 2020.
According to the newspapers’ sources, around 20 staff drank wine and spirits and ate pizza following the press conference at which then health secretary Matt Hancock had told the British public to stay at home “as much as is possible” and stressed the rules in force meant “you can meet one other person from outside your household in an outdoor, public place” as long as you kept two metres apart.
Geraldine Scott reports:
Raab defends PM over latest No 10 allegations
Dominic Raab has been defending his boss this morning, saying having a drink “after a long day or long week” was not against the regulations when asked about a photo showing the PM, his wife and staff in the garden of No 10 during the first national lockdown.
The deputy PM and justice secretary told Times Radio: “Downing Street used that garden as a place of work. They used it for work meetings. The photo is from a day when, I think, the prime minister had just done a press conference.
“And sometimes they’ll have a drink after a long day or a long week. And that’s not against the regulations.”
On Mr Johnson’s then-fiancee Carrie being there, Mr Raab said: “It is not just a place of work for all the staff that work in No 10 and the prime minister, but it is also the the residence of the prime minister and his very young family. I genuinely don’t think it gets classified as a party because Carrie popped down and spent a little bit of time there with her husband.”
‘Consistent with guidance,’ deputy PM claims about cheese and wine ‘party’
Liz Truss takes over Brexit Protocol negotiations after Frost quits
Foreign secretary Liz Truss has been drafted in to take over negotiations with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol following the dramatic resignation of Lord Frost, reports political correspondent Ashley Cowburn.
The cabinet minister, who is widely seen as a possible contender in a future Tory leadership race, will be given an expanded brief, taking responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the bloc with immediate effect, No 10 announced.
In a blow to Mr Johnson, who suffered the largest rebellion of his premiership and a historic by-election loss this week, Lord Frost also voiced concerns over “coercive” Covid measures and the wish for the UK to become a “lightly regulated, low-tax” economy in his letter to No 10 on Saturday evening.
Labour: Garden ‘party’ more evidence of Covid law-breaking
Over to Labour now. MP Rachel Reeves has told the Today programme that the photograph of Boris Johnson, his wife and staff in the garden of No 10 during the first national lockdown was evidence of law-breaking.
“I do think there is evidence of law-breaking not just on this occasion, but on multiple occasions. The country is sick of it,” the shadow chancellor said.
“They want to see leadership from this prime minister and government, and at the moment they’re hiding last year they were having a party. People are fed up with it.”
Ms Reeves added: “They want government that know that the rules apply to them as well and provide leadership to protect families, protect the NHS and also to protect businesses. People are very sick and tired of this government.”
‘This is where we are’: Pundits react to Raab’s defence of garden ‘party’
The defence at No 10 appears to be wearing thin.
As columnist Kirsty Stricklan reports:
The Mirror’s Lizzy Buchan was also listening to Dominic Raab this morning:
Meanwhile, the FT’s Henry Mance comments on the government’s decision-making process:
BREAKING: Raab undermines claim PM was working at garden gathering
Dominic Raab has undermined No 10’s claim that Boris Johnson was working while enjoying wine and cheese with staff in the No 10 garden during lockdown – saying it was “after” work had finished.
He insisted the event complied with social mixing rules during the first lockdown because No 10 is a place of work and the garden is “used for work meetings”. But the deputy prime minister added: “Sometimes they’ll have a drink after a long day or a long week.”
On BBC Breakfast, he said it had been “a gruelling day”, insisting: “This wasn’t a social occasion. It was staff having a drink after a busy set of work meetings and the pressures of the day.”
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports:
Watch: Raab attempts to defend No 10 garden ‘party’ photo
Resignation not about leadership, says Lord Frost
Let’s hear from former Brexit minister Lord Frost now, who has insisted he “never disagreed in any way” with Boris Johnson about Brexit policy – one day after he resigned from government, citing the “direction” of the PM’s party.
“Right up to the last day we’ve been absolutely aligned on that, and Liz Truss and Chris Heaton-Harris I’m sure are going to do a great job,” he told reporters this morning. “I left the government because, as I think is well known, I couldn’t support certain policies – most recently on Covid restrictions and plan B.
“And if you’re a minister you have to support collective responsibility, you have to support decisions of the government, and I couldn’t, so that’s why I had to leave.”
Speaking to Sky News, Lord Frost said his resignation was “absolutely not about leadership”.
Pressed on if more ministers will resign, Lord Frost said: “I can’t speak for anybody else, I can only say what I think, which is that I don’t support coercive policies on Covid. The prime minister has got some very difficult decisions to take and I’m sure he’ll be thinking very hard at them.”
