By Ben Kerrigan-
News that several dozen people attended a christmas party at Downing Street during lockdown where party games were played, and food and drink served, has sparked uproar and led to Boris Johnson’s insistence that no Covid rules were broken.
The British public was ordered to stay at home during the last few months of 2019, as was the case in 2020.
Reports Mr Johnson gave a speech at a packed leaving do for a senior aide in November last year during the second lockdown, with 40 or 50 people crammed “cheek by jowl” into a medium-sized room, have led to cries of hypocrisy from the opposition party.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer accused Boris Johnson of taking the public for a fool, but the prime minister argued that covid restrictions were followed.
Starmer said: “Does the prime minister really expect the country to believe that while people were banned from seeing their loved ones at Christmas last year, it was fine for him and his friends to throw a boozy party in Downing Street?”
“Can I recommend to (him) that he does the same with his own Christmas party, which is advertised for 15 December, to which unaccountably he’s failed to invite the deputy leader,” said the PM
Prime minister, Boris Johnson’s inisstence that “all guidance was followed” during the event in question, was not a denial that the gathering took place.
London was placed under Tier 3 lockdown restrictions on 14 December last year, after which time people were not allowed to mix indoors with anyone outside their household or support bubble..”
The admission that a gathering took place in Downing Street questions whether those at the party believed in the policies set for the British public to follow.
Did they think the virus was not as transmissible and dangerous as reported oin the world media, or did they feel they had some extra safety measure like mask wearing that members of the public could not have abided by themeselves when visiting the homes of their friends and loved ones.
“Can I recommend to (him) that he does the same with his own Christmas party, which is advertised for 15 December, to which unaccountably he’s failed to invite the deputy leader,” said the PM.
The SNP’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, accused the prime minister of hosting an event that broke lockdown rules.
“The prime minister might be denying it but I’ve spoken to the Mirror newspaper this morning and they are confirming what happened, and they have legal advice on potential illegality,” he said.
“At a time when public health messaging is so vital, how are people possibly expected to trust a prime minister when he thinks it’s one rule for him and one rule for everybody else?”
The prime minister said: “He’s talking total nonsense. I think he would have been better off, frankly, saying something about the victims of storm Arwen in Scotland.”
The news has the potential of undermining the seriousness of government rules surrounding the virus, especially in the event of another lockdown, except Downing Street explains the meeting to have been absolutely necessary in addition to precautionary measures being taken.
The breach of rules could be on the same level as thos eof Dominic Cummings who drove out of hi town during corinavirus rules, and Neil Ferguson, who allowed a lover into his house during the heights of the lockdown.
Tal;kl less of former Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, who was caught romancing in his office, dismissing rules established by his government.
Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, said upon his appointment that we will have to learn to live with the virus, but the government’s history of U turns provides reason to expect the unexpected when it comes to government regulations.
The new Omicron variant has opened the door to whatever contigency plans are necessary to contain the virus, but the official position from the government is for Christmas parties not to be cancelled.
The Mirror said the official No 10 staff Christmas party was cancelled last year, but that an unofficial party, which the PM did not attend, took place on 18 December.
The prime minister also gave a speech at a “packed leaving do” for an aide on 27 November, when the country was in its second lockdown and socialising was banned, the paper said.
Mr Johnson has urged people not to cancel their Christmas parties this year, despite the emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
The PM has urged people to get a booster jab and follow new, tighter restrictions, with face masks once again being required on public transport and in shops in England.