UK Politics

Allegations of Christmas parties in the heart of government while millions abided by coronavirus restrictions have sparked fury across the country – and have prompted bookkeepers to increase their odds on whether Boris Johnson could be forced out of Downing Street in the new year.The first hints of a potential scandal arrived at the advent of December, on the front page of the Daily Mirror, with reports of two parties in No 10 in the run up to Christmas last year.After a week of fresh allegations and government denials of rule-breaking, the prime minister eventually announced an investigation into the parties – his hand forced and his credibility bruised by the publication of a leaked recording showing Downing Street officials appearing to joke about one of the events days after it took place.So what will cabinet secretary Simon Case be investigating, why has Labour declared the probe a “sham”, and what other allegations are not included in its scope? While an embattled Mr Johnson initially said the investigation would focus only on the event on 18 December, it was announced the following day – after he faced questions from journalists on the matter while announcing fresh coronavirus restrictions – that the review would also look into two additional allegations. Here are the allegations relating to those three dates:27 NovemberReports have claimed that a leaving do was held on this date, during the second lockdown, for Cleo Watson, a senior Downing Street aide and ally of former chief adviser Dominic Cummings.The prime minister gave a leaving speech to the packed, medium-sized room in No 10, where around “40 or 50” people were said to have been crammed “cheek by jowl”, according to Daily Mirror’s initial report.But Mr Cummings, who had left No 10 a fortnight prior, claimed this event to be a “red herring”, saying that a staff member left their job, walked to the press office to say goodbye, at which point Mr Johnson “bumbled in and started babbling”, prompting an “embarrassed” crowd to disperse. More from Mr Cummings in a moment.10 DecemberThe Department for Education (DfE) has admitted to holding a Christmas “gathering” for colleagues “already present” at its office in London while the capital was under Tier 2 restrictions banning people from meeting indoors in groups of more than six.Following a report that Gavin Williamson had given a short speech, the department released a statement in the hours after the leaked footage from Downing Street, saying: “The gathering was used to thank those staff for their efforts during the pandemic. “Drinks and snacks were brought by those attending and no outside guests or supporting staff were invited or present. While this was work-related, looking back we accept it would have been better not to have gathered in this way at that particular time.”December 18Of all the alleged events, it is the response to this one in particular that has so far created the biggest headache for the prime minister, and which was the sole initial focus of Mr Case’s investigation.According to the report splashed on the Mirror’s first front page on the scandal, between 40 and 50 attendees – not including the PM – drank wine and shared secret Santa gifts in No 10 on the day before Mr Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas for millions, as London toiled under Tier 3 restrictions.In a mock televised briefing four days later, then Downing Street press secretary Allegra Stratton joked with No 10 staff about the prospect of media questions on the gathering alleged to have taken place yards from Mr Johnson’s office, telling colleagues: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”Leaked recording shows Downing Street staff joking about Christmas party in No.10The publication of leaked footage of this exchange by ITV News nearly a year later would serve to infuriate the public – and many in Mr Johnson’s own party – and to act as the catalyst for Mr Case’s investigation.But while journalists had initially pointed out that the probe was far from an independent process, with Mr Case taking direction from Mr Johnson, a fresh allegation the following day served to further cast doubt over the investigation.What other claims are there?As ITV reported that Mr Johnson’s top communications adviser Jack Doyle had given out prizes at the party on 18 December last year, Labour decried the investigation as “a sham” and labelled Mr Johnson “unfit to lead”.And there are other allegations not yet covered by the probe – including claims reported by The Times of a Christmas quiz for Downing Street officials in the Cabinet Office, which No 10 insists was “entirely virtual”.Less specifically, both The Mirror and The Guardian have carried claims from sources that there were “loads of leaving parties” in No 10 during both the second and third lockdown, with the former quoting allegations from a source that there were “always parties” in the flat Mr Johnson shares with his wife Carrie. But no specific allegations have been made – save for one.Mr Cummings, now a vocal critic of former ally Mr Johnson and his spouse, has insisted the focus of investigations should be on an alleged “actual party” in the couple’s grace-and-favour flat on 13 November, the day he himself walked out of Downing Street.While Mr Johnson has denied a party took place, Mr Cummings – who sparked public fury with his own actions in Durham during the first national lockdown – alleged there had been “other flat parties” and suggested investigating the pair’s “bubble” policy.Hours earlier, Mr Johnson is alleged to have given a leaving speech for Lee Cain, his departing director of communications.Elsewhere, The Times reported that a “raucous” party allegedly attended by London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey took place on 14 December at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ). The Tory Party admitted that an “unauthorised social gathering” had been uncovered and said “formal disciplinary action” had been taken against four CCHQ staff as a result.For his part, Mr Case is expected to pass on any findings of potential breaches of the law to the Metropolitan Police, which had said in response to the footage of Ms Stratton that it did not have enough evidence to launch an investigation. More

An ex-standards chief is leading demands to reopen investigations into the funding of Boris Johnson’s lavish flat refurbishment, after evidence that he “misled” an inquiry that cleared him of wrongdoing.Opposition parties joined Sir Alistair Graham in hitting out at the prime minister’s conduct – as the Electoral Commission also ruled the Conservatives broke electoral law over the controversy.The spotlight fell on Mr Johnson when its report revealed he personally asked for more funds for the redecorations, despite claiming – three months later – that he knew nothing about any payments by donors.Sir Alistair, a former chair of the committee on standards in public life, said he had clearly “misled” his own ethics adviser, Christopher Geidt, by making the later claim.He called for Lord Geidt to reopen his probe – which found, in May, there had been no breach of the ministerial code – and “reconsider his conclusions”.On Thursday evening, The Daily Telegraph reported that Lord Geidt was considering resigning if Mr Johnson failed to adequately explain why evidence relating to the refubishment of the Downing Street flat was not shared with him – piling further pressure on the prime minister.Labour said Mr Johnson had “lied”, urging the parliamentary commissioner for standards to step in, while the Scottish National Party (SNP) called for Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, and Lord Geidt to investigate jointly.Sir Alistair went further, telling The Independent: “The prime minister is in breach of both the ministerial code and the seven principles of public life. He therefore has to resign, or the Tory Party has to sack him.”The commission’s report put allegations of sleaze back centre-stage – as Mr Johnson is also facing allegations of misleading the public over last year’s Christmas parties in No 10.That controversy also deepened, as it was revealed the cabinet secretary will investigate two more gatherings – one hosted in No 10 in November and one at the Department for Education (DfE).For months, after the revelation of the costly refit of the flat – above No 11 Downing Street – emerged, Mr Johnson refused to confirm that the Tory party, and then a major donor, originally funded it.In other developments in the controversy:* No 10 refused to release WhatsApp messages sent by the prime minister, requesting further works on the flat – which the Cabinet Office denied existed, after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.* The commission said the total refurbishment bill, eventually met by Mr Johnson, was £112,549.12 – far higher than thought – but his payments were “outside the scope of our investigation”.* It fined the Conservatives a total of £17,800 for failing to report donations properly. However, it is limited to £20,000 for a single offence – after the government rejected a recommendation of £500,000.* The report said the Tory treasurer rejected an “opportunity to discuss matters in person”. The party said, nevertheless, it is considering an appeal.* The Independent understands the WhatsApp messages will be released to parliament’s standards commissioner, should she start an investigation and request them.In May, Lord Geidt reported there was “no evidence” that Mr Johnson had been told by Tory donor Lord Brownlow that he had paid a bill for the refurbishment.The conclusion was based on the prime minister’s testimony that “he knew nothing about such payments until immediately prior to media reports in February 2021”.But the Electoral Commission report revealed that – in November 2020 – he “messaged Lord Brownlow via WhatsApp” to ask him to “authorise” further redecorations.Furthermore, in early December, “Lord Brownlow confirmed to the prime minister that he had approved further works”, the watchdog stated.Mr Johnson’s spokesman, asked if he had lied to Lord Geidt, replied: “No” – arguing he had known only that Lord Brownlow was handling the funding, not that he was the source of the money.He had contacted him, in November 2020, because he was the administrator of a blind trust to fund the works – despite the commission report stating “the trust had not been formed”.The spokesman said the prime minister was “not aware” that Lord Brownlow was “the underlying donor” until “immediately prior to media reports in February 2021”.“Lord Brownlow was appointed by the PM as chair of the trust on 23 June and Lord Geidt’s report notes that Lord Brownlow behaved in a confidential manner, consistent with his own experience of blind trusts,” he said.But Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, in a letter to the standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, called for “an immediate investigation into the conduct of the prime minister in this scandal”.She has powers to suspend an MP – which can lead to a recall petition and a potential by-election – but said she would not investigate until the commission had finished its probe.Ms Rayner wrote: “Today’s report demonstrates that the prime minister has failed to declare donations which appears to put him in clear breach of the members’ code of conduct, as well as the Conservative Party having breached its own legal obligations.” More

Boris Johnson is set to be forced to rely on Labour votes to put his Christmas Covid restrictions into law, as a slew of Tory rebels spoke out against his plan for vaccine passes.Labour support means no threat of defeat for the prime minister in the key vote next Tuesday, but a record revolt would represent a further indication of waning confidence in his leadership, already reeling over the Downing Street Christmas party scandal.Rebels were confident of topping the tally of 40 needed to neutralise Mr Johnson’s 79-seat majority, and there were expectations that the revolt could surpass the 49 Tories who opposed the extension of lockdown measures in June with some Tories branding the new restrictions “authoritarian”.The upswell of anger came as Downing Street assured MPs that new domestic restrictions will be reviewed by 5 January at the latest – and earlier if emerging scientific data suggests that the omicron variant of Covid-19 does not threaten to overwhelm the NHS.Among those considering voting against the package is ex-cabinet minister Liam Fox – a former shadow health secretary – who told The Independent that he would wait to see whether the wording of Tuesday’s motion allows him to oppose vaccine certification for entry to venues while backing the relaxation of isolation rules proposed by Mr Johnson.Within 24 hours of the announcement of new plan B restrictions, at least 23 Tory MPs had gone public with their opposition to the mandatory use of passes showing double-jab status or a recent negative test to gain entry to nightclubs, indoor unseated venues with a capacity of more than 500, outdoor unseated venues holding 4,000 or any sporting or music event for 10,000 or more.At least a dozen of those saying they would not back the measure did not take part in the June rebellion, many of them younger Red Wall Tories of the 2019 intake, in a signal that next week’s revolt could be the largest yet against Covid restrictions.And there was fury over Mr Johnson’s hint in a press conference on Wednesday that he was ready to consider mandatory vaccination as part of a “national conversation” about how to defend Britain from future Covid threats.Backbencher Marcus Fysh told The Independent that any compulsory jab proposal from the PM would be “totally unacceptable” and would split the party, warning: “I don’t think the Conservative party  would survive in its current form.”Mr Fysh said he had never felt such “animosity towards the government and our ministers” from the Tory benches as was expressed by MPs in a debate on the new restrictions on Wednesday.“Everyone is perfectly prepared to be considerate towards others over the use of face-coverings, but there is a line you do not cross into authoritarianism,” he said.Among Tories declaring they will not support the certification scheme were 2019 intake members including Darren Henry of Broxtowe, Simon Fell of Barrow and Furness, Dehenna Davison of Bishop Auckland and Christian Wakeford of Bury South.Stroud’s Siobhan Baillie said she saw “no evidence” that vaccine passports had stopped the spread of Covid, Anthony Mangnall of Totnes said they were “farcical, unnecessary and impractical” and Danny Kruger of Devizes said: “We must not go down this road.”Runnymede and Weybridge MP Ben Spencer – another member of the 2019 intake – said: “I have grave concerns over any form of Covid passport and the inequality they create.“I don’t want to live in a society that excludes or segregates people based on their medical status or beliefs and therefore will not be supporting these measures next week.“And as to a ‘national conversation’ on compulsory vaccination? Simply: No. No. No.”Veteran Tory MP and vocal lockdown sceptics Sir Desmond Swayne said he will vote against plan B measures.He told The Independent: “The Adam Smith Institute estimates the economic cost of the measures as £800m per week. We have delivered an intolerable situation of tailoring social and economic activity to accommodate hospital admissions.” More

Pressure on Boris Johnson over Downing Street parties has been stepped up after it emerged that his top communications adviser handed out awards to staff on the night of an alleged Christmas do. No 10 head of communications Jack Doyle gave a thank you speech to press office workers on 18 December last year, the date of a party with alcohol food and a secret Santa believed to have been attended by as many as 50 people in breach of Covid restrictions.Labour said that Mr Doyle’s presence, first reported by ITV News, exposed the investigation being carried out by Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, as “a sham” and showed that Mr Johnson was “unfit to lead”.The development raises questions over the information issued to journalists by Downing Street spokespeople, who have previously insisted that no party took place on that date. And it will inevitably spark questions about who gave Mr Johnson the assurances, which he mentioned in the House of Commons on Wednesday, that “there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken”.Downing Street declined to comment on the ITV report, with the prime minister’s official spokesperson telling The Independent that “We are not commenting further while the cabinet secretary Simon Case is doing his fact-finding work.”The Independent understands that Doyle – who at the time was deputy comms chief in No 10 – gave a short thank you speech to members of his team who had been working on the Covid response.He is understood to have handed out awards to staff for their work, which a source familiar with the situation said was done regularly each week.It is not yet known whether food or alcohol was being consumed, or other party activities were under way, at the time he was present.Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said the report indicated that Mr Johnson was “unfit to lead”.“As more details emerge about the Downing Street Christmas party, the government’s internal investigation has been exposed as the sham it is,” said Ms Rayner. “The investigation has only just published its terms of reference and we are already seeing more details from the media than the Cabinet Office about the parties.“We all know there was a party that broke the rules. The Conservatives think it’s one rule for them, and another for everyone else.“The prime minister is unfit to lead.”The row came as the latest voting intention poll, by Survation, gave Labour its biggest lead since Mr Johnson took power in 2019, with a six-point advantage on 40 per cent to the Conservatives’ 34.The development came as the investigation ordered by the prime minister into allegations of pre-Christmas parties in government buildings was widened to cover a separate gathering reportedly hosted in No 10 on 27 November and a festive event at the Department for Education (DfE) on 10 December.Mr Johnson ordered his most senior civil servant to conduct the probe in response to a leaked video showing government officials joking about a festive party, which led to the resignation on Wednesday of the prime minister’s former press secretary Allegra Stratton.Updating MPs, Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis said the cabinet secretary will be tasked with establishing “swiftly a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings, including attendance, the setting and the purpose”. “If required, the investigation will establish whether individual disciplinary action is warranted,” he insisted, adding that all ministers, special advisers and civil servants will be expected to cooperate.However, there was no reference to an allegation made by Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s former senior adviser, of a separate party held in the Downing Street flat on 13 November.Posting on social media on Wednesday, Mr Cummings said: “Will the CABSEC [cabinet secretary] also be asked to investigate the *flat* party on Fri 13 Nov, the other flat parties, & the flat’s ‘bubble’ policy…”.The date identified by Mr Cummings was the same day he left Downing Street after losing a power struggle and just eight days after the prime minister imposed England’s second national lockdown in response to surging Covid rates.Elsewhere, Mr Ellis confirmed that if any evidence emerges of behaviour that is a potential criminal offence, “the matter will be referred to the police and the Cabinet Office’s work may be paused.He said: “I must emphasise that the matters relating to adherence to the law are properly for the police to investigate and the Cabinet Office will liaise with the police as appropriate”Speaking about the investigation, Labour shadow Cabinet Office minister, Fleur Anderson, said: “I don’t think we need to call them alleged parties, they are the parties”.The extent to which the party scandal has shaken Tory support for Mr Johnson’s leadership was laid bare in an interview in which a “Red Wall” MP repeatedly declined to say whether he had confidence in the PM.Chris Green, MP for Bolton West, suggested the prime minister had only imposed plan B Covid restrictions on Wednesday to distract from the furore over last year’s parties.Asked on BBC Radio Manchester if he still had confidence in Mr Johnson, Mr Green paused for six second before saying: “I’m very concerned about what the prime minister is doing.”Challenged again, he waited another five seconds before saying the government would find it difficult to pass Covid rules in the Commons.And asked once more whether he still had confidence in the PM, the Tory backbencher paused for eight seconds, before admitting: “I think the silence does speak volumes.” More

The government plans to radically alter local government in England, replacing it with a single-tier mayoral-style system, according to a draft of the government’s levelling up white paper seen by The Independent.The document – marked “Official Sensitive” – states the government is setting out a “new devolution framework for England” based on a model of a directly elected leader “over a well-defined economic geography”. The ambition is to strip back layers of local government and replace them with a single-tier system, as in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, but the government is already braced for a backlash to the plans, according to one senior official. “Levelling up requires coherent local institutions,” the document reads. With local government split across county councils, district councils and unitary authorities there needs to be a more streamlined approach, it suggests. At present, across most of England there are two tiers of local government, county and district, which share responsibility for council services. The proposals would scrap those tiers and take an approach seen in London and other metropolitan areas where one single structure takes charge of all services.The plans proposed in the draft paper would mean a huge overhaul of local government, and either scrapping or merging England’s 181 district councils and 24 county councils. The step towards single tier local government would need to be under way by 2023 in order to coincide with changes in funding for regions. A new Local Growth Funding Roadmap detailing how this will work will be released in 2022, and then enforced in 2023, according to the paper.Boris Johnson’s government will also define its flagship levelling up agenda with a host of end-of-decade “missions” on crime, health and living standards.The document lays out 13 missions with which to “anchor” the agenda, which the prime minister has described as the central purpose of his administration, and all come with a 2030 deadline.The government’s white paper was promised before the end of the year, but last week it emerged the proposals would be delayed until 2022 as ministers grapple with controversies on multiple fronts and the increasing threat of Covid with the new omicron variant.The missions include targets from narrowing gaps in life expectancy to an undefined target to reduce the numbers of people renting “non-decent homes”.There are also commitments to have nationwide gigabit-capable broadband and 4G coverage, to increase the number of adults in training in low-skilled areas by 20 per cent, and to increase KS2 outcomes in the bottom third of local authority areas by more than a third by 2030.“By 2030, we will have a globally competitive city in every region and nation of the UK,” the paper reads. The proposals amount to “wholesale changes to information, incentives and institutions” which “underpin decision-making in the UK”.While the commitments are UK-wide, much of the paper focuses on what can be achieved within England, noting limits to Westminster’s powers to override existing devolved powers in the other nations of the UK. Each mission will be “a rolling 10-year endeavour”, and reviewed at each spending review by the Treasury and there is an additional document that sets out metrics for measuring progress on each. But the 2030 targets are likely to be seized on by opposition parties at Westminster amid the backdrop of imminent concerns over living standards this winter, the manifesto-flouting 1.25 percentage point increase to national insurance, and the unequal impact of the government’s social care reforms in different areas of the country.The white paper also aims to reform the collation and sharing of data across local government. Each of the levelling up missions will be measured against data dashboards, to make it easier to monitor progress. The metrics used to create these will be published alongside the government’s white paper.Several parts of the draft paper show that key decisions from the levelling up cabinet committee and the Treasury have yet to be signed off. A Treasury official told The Independent that this department would have the final call on economic policies laid out in the white paper.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities declined to comment ahead of publication. More

Boris Johnson’s government is under fire after selecting leading Brexiteer Gisela Stuart to lead a commission responsible for making sure the civil service is politically impartial.Baroness Stuart – the Vote Leave chair who campaigned with Mr Johnson during the Brexit referendum – was revealed as the government’s preferred choice for the civil service commissioner job on Thursday.The former Labour MP and crossbench peer also urged Labour voters to switch allegiances to the Tories in the 2019 general election to help “get Brexit done”.Baroness Stuart said it was “a great honour” to be named in the top Whitehall role and said she vowed to “maintain the excellence and impartiality of our civil service.”But Labour condemned the choice saying it would be “deeply inappropriate” for someone who lead a divisive national political campaign to oversee political impartiality in Whitehall.“Baroness Stuart has had an admirable career, but she is a former elected politician and chaired a national political campaign,” said the shadow Cabinet Office minister Fleur Anderson MP.She said: “There are huge questions marks over whether she can uphold the independence and integrity of this role and my Labour colleagues believe this is a deeply inappropriate appointment.”Referring to the investigation into Downing Street Christmas parties, Ms Anderson added: “On a day when junior civil servants are being hung out to dry, the neutrality of this position is more important than ever.”The government argued Baroness Stuart has contributed to public life in “non-partisan roles”, such as at the Royal Mint and the Cabinet Office.A statement on her selection also noted that she now sits as a crossbencher in the Lords, operating “independently, outside of a party-political framework”.But Alex Thomas, who leads the Institute for Government think tank’s work on the civil service, raised concerns over the appointment of a politician to the role – saying it had not been done since 1909.“Asking a politician to do it is problematic. The very essence of the job is to safeguard the impartiality of the civil service,” he said. “It makes it difficult to discharge that function credibly.”Mr Thomas said the view was nothing to do with Baroness Stuart having served as the chair of Vote Leave, arguing that “there’s nothing wrong with that” – but that appointing any politician could raise concerns.Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay said: “Baroness Stuart has all the attributes, experience and independence of judgment needed to lead the Civil Service commission highly effectively.”She is expected to appear before the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee before the government considers the MPs’ views and decides whether to approve her appointment. More

People in Scotland have been urged by the country’s public health authority to cancel Christmas parties amid rising concerns about the spread of omicron variant of Covid.Public Health Scotland has asked Scots to “defer” their plans for festive gatherings after a series of coronavirus outbreaks linked to parties.“To help minimise the further spread of Covid-19, and omicron in particular, I would strongly urge people to defer their Christmas parties to another time,” said Dr Nick Phin, director of public health science at Public Health Scotland.It comes as Boris Johnson comes under pressure over Christmas parties held at Downing Street during last year’s lockdown restrictions – with Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon calling on the PM to resign over the scandal.Mr Johnson has brought in plan B measures for England asking people to work from home again – but he has encouraged people south of the border to carry on with their Christmas parties.In his plea to Christmas revellers in Scotland, Dr Phin said: “We still need to learn more about the severity of disease caused by Omicron and the effectiveness of vaccines, but there are important things that we can do to help protect ourselves and our families now.”The Scottish health chief added: “I appreciate that everyone is keen to celebrate this festive season, particularly after the pressures of the last 20 months, but by postponing some plans we can all do our bit to protect ourselves and our loved ones.”The UK is going to see a “really rather large wave of Omicron” and deaths in the next few months, a scientist advising government said on Thursday. Prof John Edmunds said: “We’re getting large numbers of cases and that will result in a large number of hospitalisations and, unfortunately, it will result in a large number of deaths.”Responding to plan B measures for England – including work for home guidance and Covid passports for many venues – Ms Sturgeon said “all these protections are already in place in Scotland and have helped us get Delta cases down”.Raising the prospect of further restrictions for Scots, the SNP leader said on Thursday that the “tough question we all face in period ahead is whether these protections will be strong enough against a rapidly spreading Omicron variant”.Under plan B people in England are being told to work from home if they can from next week – but Mr Johnson said it was still possible for employees to attend Christmas parties. Some have pointed out that guidance would not stop colleagues gathering at a pub to do their jobs.Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon has urged the PM to support temporarily waive intellectual property rights for coronavirus jabs in a move she said would boost the number given out in poorer countries.In a letter to Mr Johnson, she said the move would better support developing countries in their battle against Covid, and would mean the UK joining more than 100 other countries in supporting the temporary rights suspension. More