{"id":1207733,"date":"2022-01-11T11:19:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T16:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1207733"},"modified":"2022-01-11T11:19:17","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T16:19:17","slug":"boris-govt-facing-potential-police-probe-and-political-disaster-over-lockdown-breaking-boozy-bash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boris-govt-facing-potential-police-probe-and-political-disaster-over-lockdown-breaking-boozy-bash\/","title":{"rendered":"Boris Govt Facing Potential Police Probe and Political Disaster Over Lockdown Breaking Boozy Bash"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fboris-govt-facing-potential-police-probe-and-political-disaster-over-lockdown-breaking-boozy-bash%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1207733&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1363768434-640x335-1.png\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s government is facing a potential police probe and the prospect of yet another political disaster after emails have emerged of Downing Street hosting a boozy bash while the nation was under strict lockdown.<\/p>\n<p>The Metropolitan Police has said that it is in contact with the Cabinet Office concerning reports of another lockdown breaking \u201cbring your own booze\u201d party held at the Prime Minister\u2019s residence, Number 10 Downing Street, on May 20th, just days after the infamous garden gathering, which the government claimed was merely a work meeting.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe Metropolitan Police service is aware of widespread reporting relating to alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street on 20 May 2020 and is in contact with the Cabinet Office,\u201d the Met <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itv.com\/news\/2022-01-10\/met-police-in-contact-with-cabinet-office-over-number-10-lockdown-party-reports\">said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, an email from Prime Minister&nbsp;Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds to over 100 Downing Street employees on May 20th, 2020 shared by ITV News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itv.com\/news\/2022-01-10\/email-proves-downing-street-staff-held-drinks-party-at-height-of-lockdown\">said<\/a>: \u201cAfter what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>According to the news network, some 40 staff, alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his now-wife Carrie Johnson, gathered in the garden for the bash.<\/p>\n<p>Less than an hour before people gathered in Number 10 for the party, the government\u2019s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden held a press conference that very evening in which he warned the public to refrain from mixing in large groups.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor, public place provided that you stay two metres apart,\u201d Dowden said at the time.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">UK Government Accused of Having Yet Another Lockdown Party <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pydYBpW88V\">https:\/\/t.co\/pydYBpW88V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1480117146965446659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 9, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The email leak will be harder for the government to defend than the previous scandal concerning a photograph of the Prime Minister, his then-girlfriend and others <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2021\/12\/20\/boris-johnson-accused-of-breaking-lockdown-again-with-alleged-wine-party\/\">sipping wine and eating cheese<\/a> in the Downing Street garden. The government insisted that it was a merely a work meeting.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>It appears that the first fall guy from the latest scandal will be the author of the email, the PM\u2019s Private Secretary Martin Reynolds, who has run Johnson\u2019s private office since 2019 and was reportedly tasked with enforcing coronavirus measures in the PM\u2019s office. Opposition leaders may not be satisfied by such a sacrificial lamb, however.<\/p>\n<p>Commenting on the scandal, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/police-consider-investigation-into-downing-street-bring-your-own-booze-lockdown-party-12513386\">said<\/a>:&nbsp;\u201cThe series of revelations about parties and other events at Downing Street have made a mockery of all who diligently followed the rules \u2013 often at great personal cost.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cBoris Johnson repeatedly claimed that no rules were broken in Number 10 but the truth is out. He misled the public and misled the House.\u201d She continued: \u201cOf course it\u2019s right there\u2019s an inquiry but we shouldn\u2019t need that for the prime minister to tell the truth.&nbsp;Boris Johnson should come to the House of Commons today and finally come clean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rayner, who asked an urgent question in Parliament on Tuesday told the House: \u201cthe public have already drawn their own conclusions. [The Prime Minister] can run but he can\u2019t hide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She asked \u2014 although the Prime Minister was not present, having said another minister in his stead: \u201c\u2026the simple central question today: did the Prime Minister attend the event on the 20th of May, 2020? It won\u2019t wash to blame this on a few junior civil servants, the Prime Minister sets the tone. If the Prime Minister was there, surely he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Writing on social media, the leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Keir_Starmer\/status\/1480836060703776776\">said<\/a>: \u201cBoris Johnson, your deflections and distractions are absurd.&nbsp;Not only did you know about the parties in Downing Street, you attended them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop lying to the British public. It\u2019s time to finally come clean.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Boris Johnson: &#8216;I can understand how infuriating it must be to think that the people who have been setting the rules, have not been following the rules, because I was also furious.&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PE8a5XrCRd\">pic.twitter.com\/PE8a5XrCRd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mirror Politics (@MirrorPolitics) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MirrorPolitics\/status\/1480664311903236099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In December, the Prime Minister took to the floor of the House of Commons to express his views with another apparent breach of lockdown restrictions, when footage emerged of Downing Street staff holding a Christmas Party in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can understand how infuriating it must be to think that the people who have been setting the rules, have not been following the rules, because I was also furious,\u201d Johnson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/boris-johnson-apologises-christmas-party_uk_61b09591e4b02df7c6aed20b\">said<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n<p>The apparent lockdown hypocrisy from the government and the Prime Minister himself has severely damaged the leader of the past two months.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/yougov.co.uk\/topics\/politics\/articles-reports\/2022\/01\/10\/does-boris-johnson-still-have-support-conservative\">poll<\/a> conducted by YouGov prior to the latest lockdown scandal found that over a third of Tory party members believe that the Prime Minister should resign and 38 per cent stating that they believe Mr Johnson has been doing a bad job as leader.<\/p>\n<p>At present, <a href=\"https:\/\/yougov.co.uk\/topics\/politics\/explore\/public_figure\/Boris_Johnson\">according<\/a> to the poling agency, just 26 per cent of the public have a favourable opinion of Mr Johnson, compared 56 per cent holding a negative view.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nigel Farage Warns Boris Johnson May Be Out \u2018Sooner Than Anybody Thinks\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QGH3E3xaVd\">https:\/\/t.co\/QGH3E3xaVd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1472948591987732480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 20, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KurtZindulka\">@KurtZindulka<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s government is facing a potential police probe and the prospect of yet another political disaster after emails have emerged of Downing Street hosting a boozy bash &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1207733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1207733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1207733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1207733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1207733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1207733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1207733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}