Downing Street Christmas party row: RECAP: Boris Johnson announces Plan B measures in England as pressure mounts
Boris Johnson is set to address the public on coronavirus as ministers consider imposing new restrictions in response to rising cases and the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Prime Minister will front a press conference from Downing Street at 6pm on Wednesday, No 10 said, after considering measures including guidance to work from home and the introduction of domestic vaccine passports for events and large venues.
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Hide AdLeaked footage from No 10’s £2.6 million press briefing room emerged on Monday night which showed former press secretary Allegra Stratton laughing as she appeared to rehearse answers to questions over a lockdown-busting Christmas party.
The video, which is reported to be from December 22 last year, refers to a party on “Friday” – which would have been December 18, the same day The Daily Mirror reported there was a staff party where games were played, food and drinks were served, and revelries went on past midnight.
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The Deputy First Minister, who is also the Scottish Government’s Covid recovery secretary, added: “That video last night is just one of the most appalling things I have seen in my political life.
Leaked footage of key members of Boris Johnson’s staff joking about a Christmas party alleged to have been held at the time of strict lockdown restrictions shows the “contempt” Downing Street has for the public, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister has said.
John Swinney said the video footage, which shows No 10 aides taking part in a mock press conference and joking about a “fictional” party in December 2020, is “one of the most appalling things” he had seen in his political career.
The Deputy First Minister, who is also the Scottish Government’s Covid Recovery Secretary, added: “That video last night is just one of the most appalling things I have seen in my political life.
“I think it shows contempt at the heart of Downing Street for members of the public, and that is exactly what you do not need at a time of national emergency and of the gravity that we face.
“So the experience that all of us are having to wrestle with in the handling of coronavirus, and particularly Omicron, are dealt a very serious blow by the appalling behaviour by Downing Street, by UK Government ministers who have quite clearly lied to the public about this party, and we need to recognise the seriousness of the threat that poses to our efforts on tackling coronavirus.”
Commenting on the leaked footage, SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP said: “This video is damning and leaves the Prime Minister with a lot to answer for.
“When every individual up and down the country was told to stay at home in order to protect the NHS, the Tories were instead having a Christmas party which, as a senior staff member has now confirmed, was ‘not socially distanced’.
“If this is true, then the Prime Minister’s position is untenable and he must remove himself from office immediately.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers are reviewing the leaked video in relation to “alleged breaches” of coronavirus regulations.
Tory peer and former Conservative Party chairwoman Sayeeda Warsi said all those present at any party should resign.
She tweeted: “Every minister, parliamentarian & staffer at the #downingstreetparty must resign NOW.
“No ifs no buts. The rule of law is a fundamental value, the glue that hold us together as a nation.
“Once that is trashed by those in power the very essence of our democracy is at stake.”
Jackie Green, whose 86-year-old mother Beryl Harris died alone in hospital on December 18 last year after contracting coronavirus, described the attitude of the Prime Minister’s aides in the now infamous video as “totally reprehensible”.
She told the PA news agency: “I couldn’t quite comprehend what I was watching, I had to watch it several times to sink in.
“I was absolutely appalled that members of the Government could laugh and joke about a party when people were losing their loved ones.
“Even if they haven’t lost loved ones, they could get severely affected by Covid.
“To put it mildly, it was inappropriate. It was totally reprehensible behaviour.”
