Boris and Carrie Johnson hosted a close friend at Chequers while some coronavirus restrictions were still in place, it has been reported.
The former prime minister and his then-pregnant wife are said to have invited corporate events organiser Dixie Maloney to the Buckinghamshire country mansion on 7 May 2021.
At the time, indoor gatherings between different households were banned except when “reasonably necessary” for reasons such as work or childcare or to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person, including someone pregnant.
The Guardian reported that she had been informally helping to plan the couples’ festival-style wedding, which took place at Downing Street three weeks later.
Any suggestion they broke the law has been disputed by the couple and Ms Maloney, with sources telling the newspaper that she was there for childcare reasons as Ms Johnson was pregnant.
Mr Johnson’s spokesperson insisted the event was “entirely lawful” and Ms Maloney told the paper she would not have done anything that she believed at the time to be unlawful.
The report comes as the former prime minister remains under investigation for allegedly breaching the Covid rules his own government drew up during the pandemic.
Boris Johnson’s spokesperson insists the event was ‘entirely lawful’
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper told The Independent: “The public are sick of subsidising an ex-prime minister, especially one who once again appears to have shown complete disregard for the rules they had to follow.
“We’re all left wondering what more it will take for Rishi Sunak to finally scrap Johnson’s taxpayer-funded legal bill.
“Almost every day of this government brings more stories of Conservative sleaze and scandal, all whilst the problems facing the country get worse and worse.”
The visit was one of approximately 12 gatherings that allegedly took place at Chequers and Downing Street and are being assessed by two police forces. Thames Valley Police, which covers Chequers, told The Guardian that it is reviewing the evidence and has not yet launched an investigation.
Mr Johnson is also awaiting the outcome of the privileges committee inquiry into whether he deliberately misled MPs over the initial Partygate scandal.
A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said: “This was entirely lawful, and it was covered by relevant provisions in the Covid regulations, as The Guardian’s report makes clear. To suggest otherwise is totally untrue.”
