Boris Johnson gave a speech at a “prosecco-fuelled” leaving do allegedly held in No 10 during the third national coronavirus lockdown, according to a report – marking one of multiple fresh Partygate claims against the prime minister.
In her damning update on Monday, civil servant Sue Gray revealed that the Metropolitan Police were investigating a dozen gatherings, including a previously unreported event on 14 January last year “on the departure of two No 10 private secretaries”.
Both The Telegraph and The Guardian reported on Tuesday night that the prime minister had been in attendance, with the latter saying that Mr Johnson gave a speech thanking a colleague for their hard work and stayed at the event for around five minutes.
In the same article, The Telegraph reported that Mr Johnson had been witnessed heading up to his Downing Street flat on the night of 13 November 2020, where a party also under police investigation was allegedly held following his aide-turned-nemesis Dominic Cummings’s departure from Downing Street.
The fresh claims came hours after Mr Cummings claimed on his blog that “there are photos of the PM at parties under investigation”, adding: “I’ve spoken to people who say they’ve seen photos of parties in the flat.”
Referencing a claim in the Mail on Sunday that Abba’s “The Winner Takes it All” was heard blaring from the Downing Street flat on 13 November 2020, Mr Cummings added: “If cops talk to people there that night, there’ll be witnesses who say ‘we could all hear a party with Abba playing’.”
In a bruising Commons session on Monday following the publication of Ms Gray’s update, during which the prime minister faced visible anger from several of his own MPs, including his predecessor Theresa May, Mr Johnson refused to be drawn on whether he was present at his flat on the night in question.
“I simply will not indulge in running commentary” on “something that is being investigated” by the police, Mr Johnson told Labour MP Jess Phillips in response to her question on the matter, adding: “She will have to wait.”
When approached by The Independent about the two new claims against Mr Johnson on Tuesday night, a No 10 spokesperson said they could not comment on either allegation due to the ongoing police investigation.
These fresh developments in the Downing Street parties saga came hours after No 10 was forced to backtrack over the suggestion that the public could never be told if Mr Johnson were to be handed a fine as a result of the police investigation.
It followed widespread incredulity over the initial position, with Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey saying: “This stinks of a cover-up by No 10. Even Richard Nixon believed a country deserves to know whether their leader is a crook.”
Meanwhile the Tory rebellion against Mr Johnson continued to grow, as Peter Aldous became the 10th Tory MP to publicly call on the prime minister to resign, revealing that he had submitted a letter of no confidence to the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
In a lengthy statement, Mr Aldous said he had “never taken such action before”, but believed he was acting “in the best interests of the country, the government and the Conservative Party”.
Mr Aldous is among the likes of Sir Roger Gale, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and Andrew Bridgen in nudging Mr Johnson closer to the 54 letters needed to trigger a vote of no confidence in his premiership.
But while his Commons appearance on Monday afternoon appeared to spell a blow to Mr Johnson’s prospects, with one minister telling The Independent that he was “considering his position” after the prime minister’s disappointing response, he later attempted to launch a fightback with a behind-closed-doors address to the Tory party described by one MP as “barnstorming”.
Less encouraging for the prime minister, however, were fresh polling figures published by Savanta ComRes on Tuesday, suggesting Labour had opened up an 11-point lead – with Sir Keir Starmer’s party sitting on 44 percentage points, while the Tories trailed on 33.
