By Ben Kerrigan-
Up to 100 people were invited to a “bring-your-own-booze” drinks event in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown, it has emerged , in a shocking revelation to add to Downing Street’s headache about lockdown breaches.
The Metropolitan Police said it was in contact with the government over “widespread reporting relating to alleged breaches” of Covid rules, as Labour was granted an urgent question in the Commons at 12:30 GMT to seek answers.
Leaks associated with lockdown breaches at the height of the pandemic has deeply affected public confidence not only in government, but also in the legitimacy of reports about how serious the virus was at the time, leading to conclusions among some analysts who influence and contribute to this publication that the government knew that the pandemic was not serious enough to warrant a lockdown at the time.
One theory is that if the pandemic was serious enough to warrant social distancing and prevent inter household mixing, ministers would not have jeopardized the health safety of themselves and their family members.
Opposing views presented include the possibility that ministers were simply reckless and self-centred, but the prevailing view by professional analysts who have given news of the lockdown party much thought is that ministers are not stupid enough to expose their lives and those of family members to danger if they believed the virus was as serious as was reported.
News of lockdown breaches and parties in Downing Street is still being analysed by a handful of professional psychologists in the UK, India, and U.S, with a few lawyers trying to make as much extrapolations as possible from the revelations in terms of what can be implied from the facts.
Multiple parties held by ministers included one by former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and Simon Case who was forced to step down when it emeged he also broke lockdown rules.
Sir Keir Starmer, said the prime minister needed to “come clean” about the gathering.
Addressing Mr Johnson on Twitter, he added: “Your deflections and distractions are absurd. Not only did you know about the parties in Downing Street, you attended them. “Stop lying to the British public.”
An email, revealed by ITV News, revealed that people were invited to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening”, when lockdown restrictions were still in place. Twelve days later – on 1 June – rules in England were relaxed to allow groups of up to six people to meet outside.
Health Minister Edward Argar told BBC Breakfast he understood the “anger, sadness and upset many will feel about these allegations”.
But he said it was “important” to allow an investigation to take place into gatherings in Downing Street before coming to any conclusions.
However, former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson told the BBC the PM did not need to wait for an inquiry to answer whether he attended.
“I can’t understand if the prime minister attended why on earth he thought that was the right thing to do,” she added.
“People are furious about this, what they gave up, how difficult it was, what happened to their own lives, and to think that this was going on? It is indefensible, it cannot be defended.”
A Met spokesperson said the force was “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”, which oversees government policy.
Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the prime minister “cannot run and cannot hide” from the allegations.
He added: “It speaks to a rotten culture at the heart of this government and the rotten culture begins with the person in charge.”
The best defense available to ministers may be that attendees were in separate bubbles of six, and that all who attended were tested before they arrived at the parties. If it’s not true, they may be eposed for further lies.