UK Politics

The former head of the government unit responsible for drawing up Covid rules has apologised for organising a leaving drinks event during 2020’s Christmas lockdown.Kate Josephs, ex-chief of the government’s Covid-19 taskforce at the Cabinet Office, admitted she had gathered colleagues together for her own leaving event on 17 December 2020, while strict curbs on socialising remained in force in London.Ms Josephs, who is currently chief executive of Sheffield City Council, said she was co-operating with the investigation into government parties carried out by senior civil servant Sue Gray.“On the evening of 17 December, I gathered with colleagues that were at work that day, with drinks, in our office in the Cabinet Office, to mark my leaving the civil service,” Ms Josephs said in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday.“I am truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result. Sheffield has suffered greatly during this pandemic, and I apologise unreservedly.”Pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson amid fresh allegations that two drinks gatherings were held at Downing Street last April – the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, while strict Covid measures were still in place.Downing Street has apologised to Buckingham Palace after it emerged parties were held in No 10 on 16 April 2021, the day before the Queen attended the Duke’s funeral alone – but refused to say if Mr Johnson knew about them.The PM’s spokesman said he had been at Chequers on 16 April and had not been invited to the events. James Slack, Mr Johnson’s former director of communications, apologised for the “anger and hurt” caused by his leaving gathering that evening, saying it “should not have happened”.London had just entered tier 3 curbs at the time of Ms Josephs’ leaving event, with parties banned and the public prohibited from mixing indoors with anyone outside their support bubble. According to The Telegraph, dozens of officials from the Covid-19 taskforce attended the event.On the very same day, the government’s official Twitter feed replied to a query asking if employers could hold Christmas parties. It warned: “You must not have a work Christmas lunch or party.”Ms Josephs said: “I have been cooperating fully with the Cabinet Office investigations and I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the investigation.”Leader of Sheffield City Council, Labour councillor Terry Fox, said people in the city would feel “angry and let down” but stopped short of calling for Ms Josephs to resign from her current role. “We await the findings of the investigation,” he said.It had already emerged that a Christmas party was held on 17 December 2020 in the private office of cabinet secretary Simon Case, separately from Ms Josephs’ leaving event. Some 70 per cent of voters want Mr Johnson to quit, according to a Savanta survey for The Independent. Some 68 per cent dismissed his Commons apology – in which he claimed he did not realise a “bring your own booze” gathering in May 2020 was a party – as bogus.However, several Tory MPs told The Independent they expected Mr Johnson to cling on to power until Ms Gray’s report, and did not think the 54 no-confidence letters needed to trigger a leadership challenge would be sent to the head of the 1922 committee next week.One Tory backbencher told The Independent that he was “close” to sending in a letter of no confidence – and warned the PM there could be a “tsunami” of letters soon.“There will be a brief lull period, as we wait for Sue Gray to report, but there could be a tsunami of letters before too long. It depends on how damning the Sue Gray report, or whether more revelations come out – photos of parties would be very bad.”A senior Tory MP said he was get a lot of “angry” emails about the PM and parties. “Everyone is annoyed at the moment. It’s the most dangerous time that [Mr Johnson] has ever faced. It’s very serious. The mood is very bad. But I’d be very surprised if we reached 54 letters before the Sue Gray report.”Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, told The Independent: “Every new allegation that comes out is bad news.”Responding to the latest claims of leaving drinks at No 10 and Whitehall, he said: “For everybody in the population who obeyed the rules, but particularly those who weren’t able to say goodbye to loved ones when they died, it creates a very bad impression.”Asked if Mr Johnson would have to go over partygate, the senior Tory figure said: “We must wait and see what Sue Gray says. I don’t want to speculate until I’ve seen that report.”Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is drawing up a list of officials to offer resignations over the partygate scandal in the weeks ahead as he battles to save his premiership, The Independent has reported.Dubbed “Operation Save Big Dog” by the PM, the plan includes a drive to work out who should go after Ms Gray’s report, according to sources.Earlier on Friday, foreign secretary Liz Truss suggested the British public should “move on” from the scandal over parties held at No 10 during the pandemic. She added that people should “wait for the results of the Sue Gray inquiry”. More

Voters are deserting Boris Johnson over the scandal of No 10 parties, with 70 per cent calling for him to quit and almost as many dismissing his Commons apology as bogus, an exclusive survey for The Independent reveals.The rejection is revealed amid criticism of the prime minister for failing to say sorry personally to the Queen for parties held in No 10 on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral last April.Instead, an apology was delivered by a member of staff in a telephone call – as Mr Johnson remained in his Downing Street flat, despite the extraordinary new evidence of Covid rule-busting.The leader of a grassroots Tory group told The Independent that the party’s MPs must now find the stomach to force out “the worst prime minister of my lifetime”.John Strafford, chair of the Campaign for Conservative Democracy, called the partying as the Queen prepared to mourn “disgraceful”, adding: “It is down to the arrogance of the prime minister that these things happen.”The survey, by Savanta, found that 70 per cent of voters want Mr Johnson to resign – a record high figure – with just 21 per cent backing him to stay in power.Just as worryingly for the embattled leader, 68 per cent did not consider his apology – in which he claimed he did not realise a “bring your own booze” gathering in his garden was a party – to be genuine.A clear majority of respondents said the “cover-up” of the parties was worse than the staging of the lockdown-busting events, by 56 per cent to 32 per cent.Some 63 per cent said they did not trust Sue Gray’s inquiry to uncover whether rules were broken – as experts point out that her remit is simply to set out the facts, not reach a verdict.Yet another party was uncovered, prompting the former head of the government unit drawing up Covid rules to apologise for a Cabinet Office leaving drinks during 2020’s Christmas lockdown.The crisis was reignited with the revelation that two leaving events were held on 16 April – the day before Prince Philip’s funeral – for the prime minister’s communications chief and for his personal photographer.The second party involved loud music, a DJ and a staff member sent to the Co-op store on the Strand to fill a suitcase with bottles of wine, The Daily Telegraph reported.Drinking carried on in the No 10 garden into the early hours of the morning, witnesses said – and one person broke a swing belonging to Johnson’s infant son, Wilfred.James Slack, the former head of communications, apologised for his leaving do, admitting: “This event should not have happened at the time that it did.”In its response, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No 10 has apologised to the Palace.”But he refused to say if the prime minister knew about the events – and it was unclear exactly what No 10 had said sorry for, as it refused to say what was meant by “this” and if they were “social events”.Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Boris Johnson should apologise personally to the Queen for the offence he’s caused her and millions around the country mourning for loved ones.”And Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “This shows just how seriously Boris Johnson has degraded the office of prime minister. The Conservatives have let Britain down.”Mr Johnson’s spokesman said he was at his country residence Chequers on 16 April last year and had not been invited to the events.But, in evidence of a growing grassroots revolt, Mr Strafford said: “The MPs need to act to get rid of him. The 1922 Committee should have a vote of confidence and say ‘out you go’.”Andrea Thorpe, chairman of Maidstone and The Weald Conservative Association, attacked “one calamity too many”, saying: “People have just now had enough. They feel let down.”The Sutton Coldfield Conservative Association unanimously passed a motion calling on the prime minister to stand down. A Tory has won the constituency in every election since its creation in 1945.Tory MPs have said they want to “wait for Sue Gray”, with the investigation by the senior civil servant expected to conclude as early as the end of next week.They will come under fiercer pressure from constituents to push the number of letters submitted to the 1922 Committee past the threshold of 54 needed to trigger a no-confidence vote.But Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, asked about Mr Johnson’s position, said: “He has apologised, I think we now need to move on and talk about how we are going to sort out issues.” More

Dozens of people wearing Boris Johnson masks and wigs danced outside Downing Street after details emerged of more parties held amid strict Covid rules on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral last year.The crowd were seen chanting “this is a work event” and “my name is Boris”, the former in reference to the prime minister’s excuse for having attended an earlier party on 20 May 2020.Footage shows the imitators of Mr Johnson holding several different types of alcohol with some of them wearing union jacks around their shoulders.Police said officers moved along a group of around 50 people outside Downing Street at around 1pm on Friday, adding that no arrests were made.An inquiry is looking into allegations of several parties held in Westminster during periods of strict Covid restrictions, including the 20 May event which the prime minster has apologised for attending.Pressure has been building on the prime minister as public opinion has soured since allegations of potential lockdown rule breaking emerged towards the end of last year.He has faced several calls to resign from members of his own party.His apology for attending what he said he thought was “a work event” has been widley mocked and has spawned dozens of internet memes.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister’s excuse was “so ridiculous that it’s actually offensive to the British public”. More

Boris Johnson is drawing up a list of officials to offer resignations over Partygate in a bid to salvage his premiership, The Independent has learned. Dubbed “Operation Save Big Dog” by the prime minister himself, the blueprint includes a drive to work out which heads should roll following the publication of senior official Sue Gray’s findings, as well as highlighting the prime minister’s achievements, according to sources. Officials have also started using the code name, The Independent understands.Dan Rosenfield, Boris Johnson’s chief of staff, and Martin Reynolds, his private secretary and author of the “BYOB” email, are thought to be possible candidates for departure. While putting names to the plan is a matter of hot debate, a more broadly accepted idea is that at least one senior political appointee and a senior official must be seen to leave Downing Street over the affair, as both groups share blame, two Whitehall sources said. A former Tory cabinet minister told The Independent that, although they backed Mr Johnson, they believed a “root and branch” overhaul of No 10 and parts of the Cabinet Office would prove essential to move on from Partygate. It would be a “bare minimum to translate contrition into action”, they said. The “save big dog” plan includes a communications “grid” in the lead up to the investigation’s conclusion and beyond. This comprises lines for supportive ministers to take in press interviews, emphasising a contrite prime minister and listing his achievements amid the difficult choices posed by the pandemic. The operation also includes sounding out support among backbenchers for possible leadership rivals including chancellor Rishi Sunak, foreign secretary Liz Truss and even former health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Mr Hunt is unlikely to command enough support to win the leadership, but No 10 aides believe could play an important role in any leadership contest.The plan reflects how precarious the position of Downing Street and the Cabinet Office has become following a slew of highly detailed reports on parties amid Covid-19 restrictions. On Friday, the former director general of the government’s Covid taskforce posted an apology on social media for holding leaving drinks in the Cabinet Office during coronavirus restrictions days before Christmas in 2020.Kate Josephs, chief executive of Sheffield City Council, said she was cooperating with a probe by senior civil servant Sue Gray and admitted to a “gathering … with drinks, in our office”.It followed an apology from Downing Street to Buckingham Palace after reports from The Daily Telegraph of two No 10 parties held on the eve of Prince Philip’s socially distanced funeral. Officials have refused to confirm or deny if Boris Johnson was aware of these parties, after he admitted to attending at least one drinks party and was pictured at a second. On Friday the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No 10 has apologised to the palace.”It is not clear if Downing Street admitted, in its apology to the palace, to having breached Covid rules with a social gathering. One of the gatherings was a leaving party for Mr Johnson’s director of communications, James Slack, who said on Friday that the “event should not have happened at the time that it did”.Downing Street also refused to comment on the existence of a plan to save Mr Johnson, but when asked about the name “Operation Save Big Dog”, a spokesperson said: “We absolutely do not recognise this phrase.”Polling for The Independent revealed voters are deserting Mr Johnson over the party scandal, with 70 per cent calling for him to quit and almost as many dismissing his Commons apology as bogus. The survey, by Savanta, found that just 21 per cent backed the prime minister to stay in power.Just as worryingly for the embattled leader, 68 per cent did not consider his apology – in which he claimed he did not realise a “bring your own booze” gathering in his garden was a party – to be genuine. More

No 10 has apologised to Buckingham Palace after parties were held on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, but is refusing to say if Boris Johnson knew about them.It is understood the apology was made by a Downing Street official, in a telephone call – rather than in a conversation involving the prime minister.Asked if Mr Johnson knew about the parties on 16 April last year, his spokesman said: “We have set out that the prime minister was not in No 10 in 16 April.”He also refused to say if the apology to the Palace acknowledged that the gatherings were “social events” – which would have been in breach of Covid rules at the time.“The facts are for Sue Gray to establish as part of her report,” the spokesman said, referring to the senior civil servant whose report is expected to determine if Mr Johnson can keep his job.There are no plans for the prime minister to make a statement on the latest allegations of rule-breaking in his Downing Street home, despite Labour taunts that he is “in hiding”.The fresh crisis erupted after it was revealed that two leaving events were held on 16 April, for the prime minister’s official spokesman and for one of his personal photographers.About 30 people attended the events in total, witnesses told The Daily Telegraph, with the groups later joining each other in the No 10 garden.The party for the photographer reportedly involved loud music, a DJ and a staff member sent to the Co-op store on the Strand to fill a suitcase with bottles of wine.Drinking carried on into the early hours of the morning, witnesses said – and one person broke a swing belonging to Johnson’s infant son, Wilfred.James Slack, the former head of communications, has apologised for his leaving do, admitting: “This event should not have happened at the time that it did.”Keir Starmer seized on the No 10 apology, saying: “This shows just how seriously Boris Johnson has degraded the office of prime minister.“The Conservatives have let Britain down. An apology isn’t the only thing the prime minister should be offering the palace today. Boris Johnson should do the decent thing and resign.”Despite the apology, it is unclear exactly what No 10 has said it is sorry for – as it still refuses to discuss the nature of the events that took place during the lockdowns.The spokesman said: “It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No 10 has apologised to the Palace.”However, he then refused to say what he meant by “this”, telling journalists: “It is right that we don’t pre-empt the findings of the Sue Gray investigation.”Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the apology it had received.Downing Street has said that Mr Slack “gave a farewell speech to thank each team for the work they had done to support him” – but has refused to comment on the other leaving do.Mr Johnson’s spokesman said he was at his country residence Chequers on 16 April last year and had not been invited to the events. More

Foreign secretary Liz Truss has insisted there is a “deal to be done” with the European Union over the post-Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland, as both London and Brussels agreed to intensify talks.The apparent thaw in relations comes after Ms Truss’ first official face-to-face talks with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president, over the Northern Ireland Protocol at her official residence at Chevening, in Kent.The pair have agreed to hold further talks on 24 January, with officials also due to meet again next week for “intensified talks”.But Ms Truss again refused to rule out the prospect of invoking Article 16, which would suspend part of the agreements in the protocol, if they could not agree a way forward. At the weekend she insisted she would be “willing” to do so if talks failed.“We have had constructive talks with the EU,” she told reporters. “We are now going into intensive negotiations to work towards a negotiated solution to sort out these very real issues for the people of Northern Ireland”.“I think there is a deal to be done. I want to make progress. Clearly if we don’t make sufficient progress we will have to look at the alternatives, but my absolute desire is to get a deal that works for the people of Northern Ireland”.In a joint statement, Ms Truss and Mr Sefcovic added: “The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. They agreed that officials would meet next week in intensified talks and that the principles would meet again on 24 January.“We share a desire for a positive relationship between the EU and the UK underpinned by our shared belief in freedom and democracy”.The foreign secretary was handed the responsibility for negotiations with Brussels after the surprise departure of the Brexit minister Lord Frost, who has been vocal in his criticism of Boris Johnson’s Covid measures in recent days.A source at the Foreign Office stressed that the UK government warned to get issues surrounding the Protocol — the post-Brexit agreement with Brussels — “sorted” so that the important UK-EU relationship can focus on tackling “big external threats like Russia” and wider defence of shared values.Going forward, talks would now be aimed “squarely” on “defending peace and stability in Northern Ireland” and protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, they said.Still, they added that the EU will need to be “more pragmatic”, but in their view there was now a deal “to be done” following further intensive discussions next week. More

The British public should “move on” from the scandal over parties held at No 10 during the pandemic, foreign secretary Liz Truss has said.Pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson amid fresh allegations that two further drinks gatherings were held at Downing Street last April while strict Covid restrictions were in place – the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.However, Ms Truss suggested the prime minister’s apology for attending a “bring your own booze” event in the No 10 garden in May 2020 was good enough to draw a line under the matter for now.Asked about questions over the PM’s “moral authority”, the senior minister told reporters: “The prime minister apologised on Wednesday. He was very clear that mistakes have been made.”Defending the PM, Ms Struss said: “I do think we need to look at the overall position we’re in as a country: the fact that he has delivered Brexit, that we are recovering from Covid – we’ve got one of the fastest-growing economies now in the G7 and we’re delivering the booster programme.”She added: “He has apologised, I think we now need to move on and talk about how we are going to sort out issues,” adding that people should “wait for the results of the Sue Gray inquiry”.Ms Truss, one of the favourites to succeed Mr Johnson, said: “I completely understand people’s anger and dismay about what has happened. The prime minister apologised to the House on Wednesday – I 100 per cent support him to continue getting on with the job.”The new allegations that two Downing Street parties took place the week after Prince Philip’s death, and on the eve of his funeral, emerged on Thursday evening.The Telegraph reported that staff gathered after work for two separate events on 16 April 2021 to mark the departure of James Slack, Mr Johnson’s former director of communications, and one of the PM’s personal photographers.Mr Slack apologised on Friday for the “anger and hurt” caused by his leaving gathering and said it “should not have happened”.The revelation came as Andrew Bridgen, a leading Conservative backbencher, was the latest to publicly announce he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson.He was the fifth Tory MP to say he had written to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, calling for a vote on the PM’s future as head of the party.As many as 30 letters have been submitted so far, according to reports. A total of 54 are needed to trigger a vote.Tory MP Sir Roger Gale, who has called on Mr Johnson to go, said: “I clearly don’t know, and I shouldn’t know, how many of my colleagues have put in letters – I’m not canvassing them or seeking support for what I have done myself – but I believe that there is some momentum which is growing.”Senior Tory MP Julian Knight said he was “open-minded” about the future direction of the Tories. Mr Knight, who is chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told Times Radio he had many people write to him to complain about Mr Johnson.“I’d say about half of those – because I do monitor it very closely – are new correspondents and that is always a red sign on the dashboard,” he said.It was reported that an inquiry into alleged lockdown-busting events by senior Cabinet Office official Sue Gray was expected to find no evidence of criminality. However, The Times reported that the investigation could censure Mr Johnson for a lack of judgment.Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle warned the government it would be “entirely inappropriate” for any details of the inquiry into alleged Whitehall and Downing Street parties to be leaked.Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has called on Mr Johnson to publicly address the latest party allegations.Security minister Damian Hinds denied Mr Johnson was hiding from scrutiny by saying the PM had to reduce his social contacts after a close family member tested positive for Covid. Downing Street said Mr Johnson would be taking precautions until Tuesday. More

Rishi Sunak’s failure to offer timely support to scandal-hit Boris Johnson this week was nothing to do with political machinations, a cabinet secretary has assured voters.It was all to do with a pesky lack of mobile and wi-fi coverage.Nadine Dorries appeared to decide credulity was overrated on Thursday night when she declared the reason the chancellor didn’t back the PM for almost 24 hours after new party-gate revelations was simply because he didn’t have signal while visiting Ilfracombe in Devon.“The Chancellor was on a long-planned visit down to Devon on the coast where, as we all know, the signals and the wifi – the wifi and broadband – which is something that the MP for that area that he was with, Selaine Saxby, is constantly lobbying for,” the culture secretary said. “We know it doesn’t have great signal down there.”But, while the region has indeed long-called for better services, the suggestion that the actual Chancellor of the Exchequer was in an actual communications blackout while visiting a town of 11,000 people have – safe to say – not necessarily been taken seriously.“I am writing this on parchment,” one south-west Twitter user posted. “I hope that you will receive my reply to your tweet before the end of the year.”Indeed, The Independent can now exclusively confirm that Peel Illfracombe – the advanced manufacturing plant Mr Sunak was visiting – is, indeed, blessed with working mobile signal, wifi and broadband. For the avoidance of doubt, there is electricity and running water too.“Yes, we have working phone lines,” a puzzled receptionist said down the, er, phone. “Yes, we have broadband.”Even the area’s Tory councillor seemed a touch surprised by Dorries’ suggestion.At 9am on Friday morning, Paul Crabb’s mobile was working as clear as a bell. “It can depend what network you’re with and where in town you are,” he said. “I suppose there’s a remote chance he didn’t have a singnal.”What? All day? A pause. “I can’t speak for [Nadine],” the councillor decided.Since we had him, however, what did he and other Ilfracombe Conservatives make of the stream of revelations about illegal parties held at Downing Street during various coronavirus lockdowns?“These are all self-inflicted wounds,” he said. “They’re disappointing and they’re unnecessary.”As it happens, he met Mr Sunak during his visit. His verdict? “Very impressive,” he said. “I like him a lot.” More