Inside Politics: Johnson insists rules were followed at No 10 Covid lockdown party

Keir Starmer says ‘both things can’t be true’ after PM refuses to deny party took place but claims rules were followed, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

Boris Johnson is once again embroiled in a storm over whether or not rules have been broken, this time in respect to a Christmas party held at No 10 last year while lockdown curbs were in place. At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, the PM didn’t deny that a gathering took place, insisting “all guidance was followed”. But Labour leader Keir Starmer, quoting Tier 3 restrictions for London at the time, which stated that work or Christmas parties were not allowed, wasn’t so sure. “Both of those things can’t be true,” he said of Johnson’s response. “He’s taking the British public for fools.” This all feels a bit familiar, doesn’t it? Elsewhere, government scientists can’t rule out that omicron could cause the biggest wave of Covid infections yet, Emmanuel Macron has called Johnson a clown and Jacob Rees-Mogg is being investigated by the independent parliamentary standards commissioner. Voters head to the polls in the Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election.

Inside the bubble

House of Commons sits from 9.30am with international trade questions. Afterwards, weekly business statement from Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons leader. Later, Chris Bryant, chair of the standards committee, gives a statement on review of MPs’ code of conduct.

Coming up:

– Science minister George Freeman on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

– Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Times Radio at 8.35am

Daily Briefing

ROCKING AROUND: The Christmas tree, probably was breaking Covid rules if 40 or 50 people attended the party, according to leading barrister Adam Wagner, an expert on Covid restrictions. “At the time (Tier 3), you could only have gatherings over 30 indoors if they were a ‘permitted organised gathering’, but that would require households not mingling, or if ‘reasonably necessary for work’,” he tweeted. Johnson may have been hoping that if he delivered his denial with enough confidence and gusto that he’d be believed and that the issue would go away. But several news outlets reckon he still has questions to answer about whether the party, which took place when many people were cancelling their Christmas plans, was necessary for work. This morning’s Daily Mirror splashes on the story, with fresh details saying No 10 staffers enjoyed food, booze and games until after midnight. One partygoer who attended told the BBC yesterday there were “several dozen” people there, while sources have told the Financial Times that gatherings happened “most Fridays” during lockdown. Looks like this one isn’t going away just yet.

BIG WAVE: Government advisers have warned that omicron, the new Covid variant causing concern around the world, could fuel the largest wave of pandemic infections yet. Sage scientists cautioned that a “very stringent response” from Downing Street may be needed, while scientists in the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) said a spike in cases could overwhelm the NHS. “It is important to be prepared for a potentially very significant wave of infections with associated hospitalisations now, ahead of data being available,” the advisers warned. Live pandemic updates throughout the day here.

STOCKED UP: Sajid Javid, the health secretary, announced last night that the government has rushed to buy 114 million more Covid vaccines as scientists await data concerning the true impact of the latest variant, whose number of mutations on the spike protein is causing major concern that it might be more transmissible and better at evading vaccines. The deal was already on the table but sped up as Omcron continues to spread. Javid said the move “will future proof the great British vaccination effort … and will ensure we can protect even more people in the years ahead”. The news is obviously good for us here at home but is once again likely to raise questions about equitable vaccine distribution around the world, the lack of which experts have repeatedly warned will result in more variants. Is it wise for countries like the UK to be buying millions of doses while so little of the world’s population is inoculated? Elsewhere, ministers risk a “dereliction of duty” unless they move to make working from home the default position for civil servants in a bid to combat the spread of the omicron Covid variant, Whitehall’s biggest union has warned.

‘UN CLOWN’: The war of words between London and Paris over the migrant crisis escalated dramatically yesterday as reports in the French media said Emmanuel Macron called Johnson “a clown” over his handling of Brexit and Channel crossings. The magazine Le Canard Enchaîné quoted the French president describing the Johnson administration as a “circus” and accusing the PM of trying to portray himself as a victim in order to avoid blame for the “catastrophic” outcome of Brexit. “It is sad to see a major country with which we could do huge numbers of things being led by a clown,” he reportedly said, days after Johnson’s letter to him demanding reciprocal Channel patrols and that France “take back” migrants, which sparked fury in Paris.

CHEAP LOANS PROBE: An investigation has been launched by the parliamentary standards commissioner into cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg over an alleged breach of the MPs’ code of conduct. The independent commissioner Kathryn Stone announced that she is investigating a complaint of a breach of paragraph 14 of the code, which requires MPs to make an “open and frank” record of their financial interests in the Commons register. It is understood that the inquiry relates to a series of loans totalling £6m made to Mr Rees-Mogg by his company Saliston Limited between 2018 and 2020.

VOTE IS ON: Voters in the ultra-safe Tory seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup are braving the cold and heading to the polls today to cast their ballot in the by-election there, triggered by the death of former cabinet minister, James Brokenshire. The seat is being contested by Louie French for the Conservatives and Daniel Francis for Labour, as well as Simone Reynolds for the Lib Dems, Jonathan Rooks for the Greens, and Richard Tice for the Reform Party. It’s extremely unlikely that the Tories will see their 18,952 majority overturned, but it will be interesting to see if, or by how much, opposition parties can eat into that lead following what has been a difficult period for Johnson, who has been accused of breaking several manifesto pledges recently with his tax and spending plans, not to mention his poor handling of the Paterson lobbying scandal.

On the record

“All guidance was followed completely.”

PM doesn’t deny party was held at No 10 but insists rules were followed.

From the Twitterati

“One Downing Street insider tells the FT there were often get togethers in the evenings in No 10 while the country was in lockdown last Christmas. ‘It was the only place you could get together and socialise. They happened most Fridays.’”

Financial Times politics correspondent Laura Hughes suggests there may have been more than two No 10 gatherings during lockdown.

Essential reading

• Andrew Grice, The Independent: Boris Johnson can’t afford for mixed messaging over Covid to take hold again
• John Rentoul, The Independent: The first rule of fighting conspiracy theories – don’t call them that
• Larry Elliott, The Guardian: It’s smart to give Lisa Nandy the levelling-up brief. But what’s most needed is money
• Isobel Hardman, The Spectator: Boris’s social care plans are hollow

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