Boris Johnson gave a speech at a “prosecco-fuelled” leaving do allegedly held in No 10 in the course of the third nationwide coronavirus lockdown, in line with a report – marking certainly one of a number of recent Partygate claims towards the prime minister.
In her damning replace on Monday, civil servant Sue Grey revealed that the Metropolitan Police have been investigating a dozen gatherings, together with a beforehand unreported occasion on 14 January final 12 months “on the departure of two No 10 non-public secretaries”.
Each The Telegraph and The Guardian reported on Tuesday night time that the prime minister had been in attendance, with the latter saying that Mr Johnson gave a speech thanking a colleague for his or her arduous work and stayed on the occasion for round 5 minutes.
In the identical article, The Telegraph reported that Mr Johnson had been witnessed heading as much as his Downing Avenue flat on the night time of 13 November 2020, the place a celebration additionally beneath police investigation was allegedly held following his aide-turned-nemesis Dominic Cummings’s departure from Downing Avenue.
The recent claims got here hours after Mr Cummings claimed on his weblog that “there are photographs of the PM at events beneath investigation”, including: “I’ve spoken to individuals who say they’ve seen photographs of events within the flat.”
Referencing a declare within the Mail on Sunday that Abba’s “The Winner Takes it All” was heard blaring from the Downing Avenue flat on 13 November 2020, Mr Cummings added: “If cops discuss to folks there that night time, there’ll be witnesses who say ‘we might all hear a celebration with Abba taking part in’.”
In a bruising Commons session on Monday following the publication of Ms Grey’s replace, throughout which the prime minister confronted seen anger from a number of of his personal MPs, together with his predecessor Theresa Might, Mr Johnson refused to be drawn on whether or not he was current at his flat on the night time in query.
“I merely won’t bask in operating commentary” on “one thing that’s being investigated” by the police, Mr Johnson advised Labour MP Jess Phillips in response to her query on the matter, including: “She should wait.”
When approached by The Unbiased concerning the two new claims towards Mr Johnson on Tuesday night time, a No 10 spokesperson mentioned they might not touch upon both allegation because of the ongoing police investigation.
These recent developments within the Downing Avenue events saga got here hours after No 10 was compelled to backtrack over the suggestion that the general public might by no means be advised if Mr Johnson have been to be handed a positive because of the police investigation.
It adopted widespread incredulity over the preliminary place, with Liberal Democrat Chief Ed Davey saying: “This stinks of a cover-up by No 10. Even Richard Nixon believed a rustic deserves to know whether or not their chief is a criminal.”
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In the meantime the Tory rise up towards Mr Johnson continued to develop, as Peter Aldous turned the tenth Tory MP to publicly name 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 prolonged assertion, Mr Aldous mentioned he had “by no means taken such motion earlier than”, however believed he was appearing “in the very best pursuits of the nation, the federal government and the Conservative Occasion”.
Mr Aldous is among the many likes of Sir Roger Gale, Scottish Tory chief Douglas Ross and Andrew Bridgen in nudging Mr Johnson nearer to the 54 letters wanted to set off a vote of no confidence in his premiership.
However whereas his Commons look on Monday afternoon appeared to spell a blow to Mr Johnson’s prospects, with one minister telling The Unbiased that he was “contemplating his place” after the prime minister’s disappointing response, he later tried to launch a fightback with a behind-closed-doors deal with to the Tory occasion described by one MP as “barnstorming”.
Much less encouraging for the prime minister, nevertheless, have been recent polling figures printed by Savanta ComRes on Tuesday, suggesting Labour had opened up an 11-point lead – with Sir Keir Starmer’s occasion sitting on 44 share factors, whereas the Tories trailed on 33.
