Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has defended the Prime Minister after photos appearing to show him raising a glass at an alleged Downing Street party during the second coronavirus lockdown emerged.
The Cabinet minister told Sky News that Boris Johnson does not think he was attending a party in the image, showing him raising a glass and surrounded by wine bottles at a leaving do. Mr Shapps said: “I don’t think the fact of the pictures, us seeing them for the first time, changes what the police and Sue Gray already know."
He said that Mr Johnson's red 'work box' is in the photo, adding: "It looks to me like he goes down on his way out of the office and thanks the staff and raises a glass, and doesn’t in his mind recognise it as a party. And indeed the police have looked into this and spent a lot of time and resources.”
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Asked if he is comfortable with the photographs, he said: “I’m not, I couldn’t see my own dad for a long period of time because we were obeying the rules but I also accept the Prime Minister has long since apologised, has made fundamental reforms in No 10 and have no doubt if he had his time again he wouldn’t have dropped by to say thank you to a member of staff leaving.”
The set of four pictures, published by ITV News and reported on by the Mirror, clearly shows the Prime Minister accompanied by a group of aides around a table covered in bottles of alcohol and party food. Sources told the ITV that the photos were taken at a leaving do for his communications chief Lee Cain on November 13, 2020.
Eight days earlier, Mr Johnson had imposed England’s second national lockdown, which lasted four weeks. At the time the party supposedly took place, indoor social gatherings were banned by the government between people form separate households.
Despite the rules at the time, the Prime Minister appears to have made a toast next to two bottles of champagne or cava as well as four bottle of wine and half a bottle of gin. Mr Johnson was not fined by the Metropolitan Police over the event seen in the images.
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Meanwhile the Mayor of London has said the Metropolitan Police should explain why Boris Johnson is not getting a fine for a party he was at where at least one other person is being fined. Sadiq Khan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 'when it comes to questions being asked about the integrity of an investigation that the police explain why they’ve reached the conclusions they have.'
He continued: “And just like you I suspect, yesterday was the first time I saw the photograph of Boris Johnson raising a glass, clearly bottles of wine laying around, others with wine in their hand, on a day when he said in the Houses of Commons, and I speak as a former parliamentarian and I know the importance of not lying or misleading in the House of Commons, that there wasn’t a party.
“So you know, of course, Sue Gray will publish her report this week and of course the Prime Minister will have to answer for himself, but I think the police should explain why they reached their conclusions and provide that clarity.”
Downing Street is understood to believe it will receive the Sue Gray report into partygate on Wednesday. Ms Gray's report will set out ‘a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings, including attendance, the setting and the purpose’.
