Christmas is apparently the season “to be jolly” but if this year’s festivities are anything to go by it’s definitely the season for leaked images from alleged festive parties that happened in Tory circles during Covid restrictions.
More images of apparent gatherings that happened last year have been published online with the most recent coming from an event organised by the campaign team for former London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey.
The photo, published by The Mirror, shows a group of 24 people who were all gathered together in a medium-sized room at Conservative Campaign Headquarters on December 14th 2020, when the rest of London was in a tier 2 lockdown.
A catered buffet, along with party hats, glasses of wine, lots of laughs and even Christmas jumpers can be seen in the photo at what has been described as a “raucous” event that went on late into the night.
EXCLUSIVE: Extraordinary image of raucous Christmas party thrown by Tory aides at party HQ during coronavirus restrictions last year.
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) December 14, 2021
Party hats, drinks, an entire buffet - while we were all banned from meeting just one other person socially indoors.https://t.co/ykGoZZGckk
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Bailey has now apologised “unreservedly” for attending the “gathering” and has quit as the chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee. A spokesperson for the Greater London Authority Conservatives said Bailey had stepped down to prevent the “unauthorised social gathering” distracting from the committee’s work of holding London mayor Sadiq Khan to account.
I want to apologise unreservedly for attending a gathering held by some of my staff in my campaign office last December. 1/3
— Shaun Bailey (@ShaunBaileyUK) December 15, 2021
Reactions to the images are, predictably, rather uncomplimentary with many people irate that there are more allegations of Tories breaking lockdown rules.
So they deserved to party but not us? Who is the whistleblower pls?👏🏽
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) December 15, 2021
1.Shaun Bailey only Black person in this pic thrown under bus & resigns as Chair - Qwhite Dumped.
2.Boris Johnson refuses resignation of his Communications director who was at No 10 party - Qwhite Privileged. https://t.co/3DsgevwI65
You know what I can’t stop thinking of? The 14 year old boy who died alone in hospital and his family right now. https://t.co/83sCqEm0sG
— Luke Elliott (@LukeElliottS) December 14, 2021
Is this some kind of joke? https://t.co/00ZmddQxdL
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) December 15, 2021
They should all resign: most disgusting photo yet of pissed up Tory hypocrisy during London lockdown. https://t.co/YoS806B04N
— Richard Tice (@TiceRichard) December 14, 2021
One of these things is not like the other. One of these things doesn’t belong. pic.twitter.com/ksPZukKDJZ
— Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) December 14, 2021
The fact they took a photo of them violating rules millions were forced to endure shows they are as contemptous of ordinary people as they are plain thick. https://t.co/Lj3T0Plcqg
— Owen Jones 🌹 (@OwenJones84) December 14, 2021
The buffet… the drinks… the smiles…
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) December 14, 2021
Hard to conclude anything other than that this party held in CCHQ last year was a) planned b) brazen.
Who agreed to do the catering?! https://t.co/wfvA89a6Qj
Others have had a bit of fun with the photo at the expense of Bailey’s team and the Conservatives.
This is only the second most stupid thing Shaun Bailey has done, the first was when he spent a day campaigning to be Mayor of London in Watford, Hertfordshire, where no one could vote for him. https://t.co/cWlLl9bAm4
— Jack Duncan 🔻 (@JackDunc1) December 14, 2021
Full marks to Shaun Bailey for resigning as soon as he's caught attending a party during lockdown. That's what anyone with even a shred of integrity would do.
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) December 14, 2021
— Cold War Steve (@Coldwar_Steve) December 14, 2021
Still, it looks like a super party. pic.twitter.com/gDyp43sVAj
— THE SECRET TORY (@secrettory12) December 14, 2021
It’s the bloke in the back craning his neck to make sure his face is in shot that makes this for me https://t.co/Y6llyTPKMf
— Adam Woodward (@AWLies) December 14, 2021
Fixed it pic.twitter.com/iCWjcoL4qy
— The Poke (@ThePoke) December 14, 2021
Shaun Bailey’s campaign staff: pic.twitter.com/HdSiKI3lUW
— ︎dean dong merrily on high (@DeanRed123) December 15, 2021
The Prawn Sandwich Brigade 2020 pic.twitter.com/Kg96t3VjWk
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) December 15, 2021
Well I think it was nice for Shaun Bailey to invite all of the people who voted for him to attend his party
— Matt Chorley (@MattChorley) December 14, 2021
Despite the health risks, heroic Tory party workers swiftly come to the aid of a staffer who collapsed choking on a cheese ball. pic.twitter.com/RdhqrQZHxR
— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) December 14, 2021
"Has that blasted photographer gone?" pic.twitter.com/1qJIyZLvlH
— HappyToast ★ (@IamHappyToast) December 14, 2021
People seem to seriously be asking how Shaun Bailey’s London mayoral campaign team could have done something this stupid.
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) December 15, 2021
I must point out that Shaun Bailey’s London mayoral campaign team also took him campaigning in Brentwood, where they don’t have a vote as it’s not in London. pic.twitter.com/doC2mgCXWX
my friend made this but said his twitter is too professional for him to tweet it, and i think other people deserve to see artwork of this calibre pic.twitter.com/FNFiHmf02x
— Imogen West-Knights (@ImogenWK) December 15, 2021
Others noted that it did look like the sort of photo that a football teams takes after they’ve won a match.
‘Brilliant three points for the lads today - fans were class as always!!!
— Nick Miller (@NickMiller79) December 14, 2021
‘Onto the next one 💯💯💯💪💪💪’ pic.twitter.com/96RdL0NnAX
Knew I’d seen this before https://t.co/YlAyYzJ51R pic.twitter.com/lCpFKdwE4D
— billy🏴 (@BillyHoar) December 14, 2021
Same vibes. #WatfordFC https://t.co/VfdSwPun2L pic.twitter.com/vGlO2DUA7L
— Sam Ucko (@Sam_ucko) December 14, 2021
Even deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner couldn’t believe that there was catering.
THEY EVEN GOT CATERING IN https://t.co/gciab5A4Yx
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) December 14, 2021
CCHQ did reportedly stress on Tuesday evening that the event was “unauthorised” and that three members of staff had been disciplined as a result.
A campaign spokesperson said: “On the evening of 14 December 2020, at the end of the working day, the campaign hosted a post-work event to thank campaign staff for their efforts over the course of the year.
“This was a serious error of judgement and we fully accept that gathering like this as this time was wrong and we apologise unreservedly.”
Last week, when details of the party emerged, a Tory spokesman said: “Senior CCHQ (Conservative Campaign Headquarters) staff became aware of an unauthorised social gathering in the basement of Matthew Parker Street organised by the Bailey campaign on the evening of December 14.
“Formal disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff who were seconded to the Bailey campaign.”
