Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Scottish Secretary was not at Downing Street party

The Prime Minister has come in for criticism over reports of a gathering in Downing Street last December.

Craig Paton
Monday 06 December 2021 17:04 GMT
The Scottish Secretary also said Scotland Office events complied with restrictions in place at the time (Jonathan Brady/PA)
The Scottish Secretary also said Scotland Office events complied with restrictions in place at the time (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has said he was not invited to a Christmas party in Downing Street at the centre of controversy.

A reported gathering on December 18 last year, as the country was struggling to stave of the second wave of coronavirus, has drawn criticism despite assurances from Downing Street that no rules were broken.

Speaking at the Scottish Affairs Committee on Monday, Mr Jack said he was not invited to the event.

“I’m very confident that I wasn’t at any Christmas parties at Number 10,” he said under questioning from SNP MP and committee chairman Pete Wishart.

“I wasn’t there, I can assure you that I wasn’t there.”

The Scottish Secretary went on to say he was “confident” in his response because he “wasn’t asked to any”.

Mr Jack also gave assurances that any events run by the Scotland Office during coronavirus were “entirely within the rules” in place at the time.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in