Grant Shapps has undermined Boris Johnson’s defence of his No 10 birthday party during lockdown, appearing to admit it broke Covid rules and saying: “I don’t seek to defend it.”
The transport secretary piled pressure on the prime minister – as Downing Street tried to justify the June 2020 event – by saying he must own up “where he has transgressed”.
Mr Shapps said it was up to the civil servant Sue Gray to decide if the party was “appropriate”, but added: “I’m furious with everybody who broke the rules.”
Many people had broken lockdown rules “perhaps unwittingly,” he argued, but he said: “It’s quite right that that’s investigated and the prime minister apologises where he has transgressed.”
The comments came after other cabinet ministers disputed whether the event – at which Mr Johnson was presented with a cake and up to 30 people sang Happy Birthday – was a party.
At the time, indoor social gatherings were banned, yet staff enjoyed picnic food and cake for 30 minutes – and the interior designer arranging Mr Johnson’s flat refurbishment, Lulu Lytle, was there.
No 10 has defended the party, saying: “A group of staff working in No. 10 that day gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room after a meeting to wish the prime minister a happy birthday. He was there for less than ten minutes.”
But the Covid regulations expert and QC Adam Wagner warned: “It’s an indoor social gathering – it lasted 30 mins and the PM apparently stayed for 10.
“Pre-arranged in a particular room and food was bought. It’s obviously not within the rules and nobody from the govt at the time would have said for a moment it was.”
ITV News also claimed that, the same evening of 19 June, “family friends were hosted upstairs in the prime minister’s residence” in a further breach of the rules.
But Downing Street denied that allegation, saying: “This is totally untrue. In line with the rules at the time, the prime minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening.”
Ms Gray is believed to have already been aware of the latest allegations, which means her report – expected at the end of this week – may not be delayed further.
Its verdict will be crucial in determining whether 54 Conservative MPs submit letters demanding a no-confidence vote in the prime minister, the number required to trigger it.
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