Posted on 12/08/2021 1:06:40 AM PST by RandFan
A video obtained by ITV shows senior No 10 staff joking about holding a Christmas party - days after one was held there during lockdown.
The PM's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton is asked by colleagues about reports of a party, as they rehearse a news conference in December last year.
In jokey exchanges, she says: "This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced."
Downing Street continues to insist no party took place.
But a source previously confirmed to the BBC that a party did take place there on 18 December, with "several dozen" people in attendance.
It is expected Boris Johnson will face tough questions about the party - and the video - from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions later.
The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, also said there was also "backbench fury" among Conservative MPs.
Senior Tory Sir Roger Gale said "the buck stops at the top", and called for Mr Johnson to give definitive answers over what happened when he appears in the Commons at 12:00 GMT.
At the time, the government's coronavirus guidance specifically stated that people should not have Christmas parties - and gatherings in London of two or more people indoors were banned unless they were "reasonably necessary" for work.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Rules for thee, but not for me.
Why bother Boris about this? The buck should stop with the Prime Minister, Carrie.
“a party did take place there on 18 December”
18 December?
This pertains to 2020. Folks just now figured out that a party occurred (a year ago almost).
Yeah... it’s an issue though. His colleagues are not happy and neither is Joe public
If you’re ever bored, you can always type “Boris” into a search engine. The results are certain to be good for a few yuks.
There are so many dimensions that I don’t know where to begin. This is bigger than Profumo.
First they dithered over lockdown,with totally mixed messages. Then they enforced social distancing rules and face masks and party bans and travel restrictions and bans on household mixing...
That saw grieving sons forcibly pulled apart from their grieving mother at their dad’s funeral. Despite everyone wearing face masks, and maintaining as much distancing as they could with a hand on a shoulder.
That saw £10,000 fines given to students just for having a snowball fight... outdoors.
And while that was happening, one minister was having an affair with an aide, two others were ignoring the rules, another was chortling and putting his feet up on the antique furniture, and the Johnsons were instigating parties in Downing Street.
A few low rankers were fired for minor infractions while their posh toff bosses played high cockalorum and laughed at the serfs.
All of that could be forgiven if they hadn’t been caught out lying repeatedly about it and sniggering about the cover up.
Johnson is an idiot.
Don’t look now, Brits, but by the sound of it, this year’s party already took place as well....with lots of snow (cocaine).
They had a meeting. Don’t interfere while the opposition is making a mistake.
FYI - In the UK and most of the rest of the world, the standard date format is DD-MM-YYYY as opposed to the US which is DD-MM-YYYY.
When I managed the UK payroll for our US subsidiary, it took some time getting used to.
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