Photo Reveals Boris Johnson At Champagne And Tinsel 'Partygate' Event

Prime minister faces calls to refer December 15 gathering to the police.
Victoria Jones - PA Images via Getty Images

Boris Johnson is facing calls to refer another party in Downing Street to the police, after a photo revealed him taking part in a quiz with champagne and tinsel during lockdown.

On Wednesday afternoon, The Daily Mirror published the picture of the event on December 15, 2020.

The prime minister can be seen in a room with three people, apparently hosting a virtual quiz with others taking part online.

One person is wearing a Christmas hat, another has purple and pink tinsel draped around their neck.

There is an open bottle of champagne on the table and a half-eaten packet of crisps.

Covid rules in England at the time banned two or more people from different households from mixing indoors.

Sue Gray’s report into partygate revealed police are investigating at least three gatherings where the prime minister was in attendance.

In total the Met is looking into 12 parties and examining around 300 photographs as part of the investigation.

But the quiz is not one of the events currently being investigated by police.

Labour MP Fabian Hamilton tackled the PM on the photo during PMQs, shortly after it was published.

“In the last few minutes a photo has emerged of the prime minister in Downing Street on December 15, 2020 surrounded by alcohol, food and people wearing tinsel,” he said.

“It looks a lot like one of the Christmas parties he told us never happened.”

He added: “Will the prime minister be referring this party to the police as it is not one of the ones currently being investigated?”

Johnson replied: “In what he has just said, I’m afraid he is completely in error.”

Official guidance at the time said: “Although there are exemptions for work purposes, you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier.”

Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s hostile former chief adviser, tweeted: “there’s waaaaay better pics than that floating around, incl in the flat.”

Earlier it was reported by The Times that Johnson will not resign if he is handed a fixed penalty notice (FPN) by the police for breaking his own Covid rules.

Asked to describe what is happening in the picture, a spokeswoman for the PM said: “It was a virtual quiz, but as Sue Gray said in her report, she was unable to set out full details of those events the Met are not looking into, but as the PM repeated today, as soon as the inquiries are over we will publish in full what Sue Gray reports.”

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