THE first leaked video of partygate has emerged, showing dozens of Conservative members drinking, laughing and dancing at a festive party during the “height” of the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes as former prime minister Boris Johnson was found to have “deliberately misled MPs” with his partygate denials, a report by the Privileges Committee found.
The Christmas celebration took place at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters in London on December 14, 2020 when many parts of the UK were not allowed to socialise during lockdown.
Watch the first video of partygate as unseen footage emerges
It’s reported that there were around 24 attendees at the event, as the unseen footage shows two people twirling hand in hand past a sign saying: “Please keep your distance,” The Mirror has exclusively revealed.
The pair are then seen falling over into a buffet table before knocking over glasses of wine while The Fairytale of New York plays in the background.
In the video, one man realises he is being filmed and says: “Oh Christ.”
Another asks: “Are you filming this?” As someone else replies: “It’s for party, erm, party use.”
A man then laughs after announcing: “As long as we are not streaming that we’re, like, bending the rules.”
🚨 | BREAKING: A first ever video of partygate has been leaked showing the Tories drinking, dancing and LAUGHING at breaking covid rules “Are you filming this? As long as we’re not steaming that we’re like, bending the rules ahahah” pic.twitter.com/7Rd5E3PMzI
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 17, 2023
Previously, a picture taken on the same occasion formed part of a Met inquiry but the force only had still images to rely on and found “insufficient evidence”.
At the time, a spokesman for the Met said: “The investigation reviewed all the material thoroughly and, after careful consideration, it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to disprove the version of events provided by attendees to a standard that would meet the threshold required.”
However, the new media could now bring “new light” on the situation and the Met says it will “assess whether it could be material to an inquiry".
The party was planned by the campaign team of the then London Mayor candidate Shaun Bailey, who has now become Lord Bailey after ohnson made him a peer in his recent honours list, but he had left the party before the video was taken.
When the photos of the party were published, ailey apologised on Twitter, saying: “I gave a speech to my team to thank them... it was a serious error of judgment at a time when Londoners were making immense sacrifices to keep us all safe and I regret it wholeheartedly.”
"Boris Johnson is now the most disgraced former PM in British history." Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir @EdwardJDavey MP says Mr Johnson "deserves further punishment" from the Privileges Committee following their report into partygate.https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3 📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/eRi8lRj5Lh
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 16, 2023
He also announced his resignation as chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee.
The partygate video also features Ben Mallet who was awarded an OBE in Mr Johnson’s list.
Mallet who can be seen holding a glass of red wine and wearing festive braces, was the Conservatives campaign director for the London mayoral election back in 2021.
A Conservative Party spokesman said yesterday: “Senior CCHQ staff became aware of an unauthorised social gathering in the basement of Matthew Parker Street organised by the Bailey campaign on the evening of 14th December 2020.
“Formal disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff who were seconded to the Bailey campaign.”
A spokesman for the Shaun Bailey campaign added: “This is an old story. We repeatedly apologised for this event at the time. It was subject to a nearly year-long police investigation. The matter is closed.”
