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Daily Record
Politics
Peter Davidson

Susanna Reid shuts down Grant Shapps after minister attempts to draw partygate and beergate comparison

Susanna Reid took aim at Grant Shapps after the Tory minister attempted to bring up Keir Starmer's potential breaches of covid rules when discussing partygate in Downing Street.

The Transport Secretary was sent out by the government to defend Boris Johnson after pictures emerged of him drinking at a leaving do in Number 10 in November 2020 during the second covid lockdown.

The leaving do took place just days after the Prime Minister had ordered England's second national lockdown.

Images, obtained by ITV, of the Prime Minister raising a glass have led to criticism of the Met Police after some in attendance were fined but others, including Johnson, weren't.

Starmer is being probed by Durham Police after pictures emerged of him holding a beer with Labour workers in a party office on April 30, 2021.

Shapps was asked by Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley on Good Morning Britain why the PM wasn't fined for attending the party.

He replied: "We also know that actually with the Prime Minister where people wished him happy birthday at that event that there were people there who weren't fined.

"So the police will have had different reasons for acting and not acting.

"The only thing I can say is, you know, I can't second guess the police, the Met Police or indeed Durham Police who are looking into the Leader of the Opposition (Keir Starmer) and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Angela Rayner)."

Reid hit back at Shapps saying: "The Prime Minister who stood at press conferences and told people about the rules that the Prime Minister had been involved in drawing up.

"And the Prime Minister who was asking people to follow and then stood up in the House of Commons and said they were not breached at an event where we can clearly see that they were breached.

"If we just keep it to the Prime Minister's gathering right now."

Shapps also insisted Boris Johnson did not lie to Parliament about the leaving do at which he was pictured raising a toast, because a party was "usually a formally organised thing".

He said: "He did not knowingly lie."

Shapps added that Mr Johnson stepped into the leaving do "because his - probably - officials" told him to go and thank the departing member of staff.

The Prime Minister then "raises a glass, thanks them, leaves with those red boxes you can see there in the background, and does his work".

"So, a party in Downing Street is usually a formally organised thing."

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