The Conservative candidate for London mayor has apologised after images emerged of him attending a lockdown-breaking Christmas party last year.
Shaun Bailey, who ran for London mayor against the incumbent Sadiq Khan in May, apologised “unreservedly” for attending the gathering in December last year when London was in Tier 2 restrictions.
Covid curbs at the time meant social mixing between households was banned.
But Bailey was pictured alongside a Tory donor and two dozen people posing next to one another alongside platters of food on December 14 last year.
It had previously been reported that revellers drank alcohol and danced at the event held in the basement of Tory party headquarters.
In a tweet thread, Bailey said: “I want to apologise unreservedly for attending a gathering held by some of my staff in my campaign office last December.
“I gave a speech to my team to thank them for their efforts, before leaving shortly afterwards.
“It was a serious error of judgement at a time when Londoners were making immense sacrifices to keep us all safe and I regret it wholeheartedly.”
Last night Bailey resigned as chairman of the London Assembly’s policing committee after the photo emerged.
Bailey has been heavily criticised by his own side since the photo, published by the Mirror, emerged.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said what Bailey and his campaign team had done was “wrong” and “disgraceful”.
Asked if Bailey did the right thing by stepping down, Shapps told Sky News: “Absolutely right thing to resign but the wrong thing to have held a party.
“This is something that was organised by I guess his London campaign team.
“I see in that picture apparently four Conservative party workers who were on secondment where disciplinary action has already been taken and to answer your question it’s disgraceful to have a party like that and break the rules, that’s unacceptable.”
Shapps later added that it was “not socially distanced, absolutely unacceptable and disgraceful.”
After the event, during which a door was damaged, four of Bailey’s campaign staff were disciplined by Conservative campaign HQ.
The photograph showed 24 people crowded together including some wearing paper hats and one sporting a House of Commons Christmas jumper.
A campaign spokesperson said the event was to thank campaign staff for their efforts over the course of they year, adding: “This was a serious error of judgement and we fully accept that gathering like this as that time was wrong and apologise unreservedly”.
Billionaire Tory donor Nick Candy is also pictured in the scene. His spokesperson told the Mirror: “He gave a short thank you speech to the team and spent some time with Shaun Bailey to discuss campaign matters before leaving shortly afterwards.”
It comes after a number of reports about parties held in government offices during last year’s lockdown.
Boris Johnson announced last week that cabinet secretary Simon Case would lead an inquiry into a video of a mock press conference in which government spokeswoman Allegra Stratton joked with fellow staffers about a party held at 10 Downing Street in breach of regulations.