Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Partygate: Now Tory lawbreakers mock us
Conservative chief hands charity a bottle of bubbly signed by the PM
Description of auction lot donated by MP
BY BEN GLAZE DAN BLOOM
BUCHAN THE Tory Party’s chairman donated a bottle of champagne signed by Boris Johnson to a charity auction, sparking claims the Government is mocking the nation over Partygate.
The description on the bubbly contributed by Oliver Dowden said it is: “Hugely valuable as a souvenir of Partygate and the exemplary behaviour and morality of our dear leader.”
Donating booze with the PM’S signature on has fuelled claims the Tories have failed to grasp the seriousness of the scandal.
Labour MP Karl Turner said the episode is “confirmation if ever needed of the fact these dishonest lawbreakers are literally laughing at us”.
Mr Dowden’s office said he had nothing to do with the description and it does not reflect what he thinks. But the donation has caused fury as
Downing Street reels from the latest batch of fines slapped on staff who held boozy lockdown-busting bashes.
Over 100 fixed penalty notices have been issued over Whitehall gatherings.
The breaches came when the country was making huge sacrifices by obeying the rules the Government imposed to curb the spread of Covid. The Prime Minister and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have been fined but have refused to stand down.
No10 is braced for Mr Johnson being repeatedly fined over lockdown breaches as the Metropolitan police probe continues.
Mr Dowden donated the fizz to the Hertfordshire Community Foundation, a charity in his Hertsmere constituency. It was sold at an Evening with Harry Potter fundraiser at the film franchise’s Warner Bros Studio Tour in Watford, Herts, on Thursday night.
Amid a backlash yesterday, the charity said: “This item was donated in good faith several months ago as part of a charity auction to support some of the county’s most vulnerable residents.
“The description was not drafted or seen by Oliver Dowden prior to the event. On behalf of the charity, we apologise for any offence caused.” Mr Dowden’s spokeswoman said he “had no prior knowledge of the description” and that it is “obviously not his view”.
Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator Shabana Mahmood said: “I find it hard to believe the Tory chairman is unaware of things leaving his office bearing his name.
“The industrial scale of rule-breaking in Downing Street is important no matter how much ministers dismiss it... They broke the rules and they broke the economy. Now they think it’s a punchline.”
Earlier, Cabinet minister Jacob Reesmogg claimed the latest fines slapped on Downing Street over the scandal are “a non-story”. He said: “I think this was an important story in February when it first became known, and that there was great concern.”
The Tory added: “The fines are a consequence of things we knew in February and it was a story in February and people now know about it and have made their judgment on it. There are other things going on that are more important.”
He added: “I’m afraid I think this is a non-story.”
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson’s one-time Tory leadership rival, former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has fuelled rumours he is
preparing a bid to topple the Prime Minister.
Mr Hunt said it was not the right time for a change of leader, but added: “I don’t rule out a return in the future.”
They broke the rules and the economy. Now they think it’s a punchline SHABANA MAHMOOD SLAMS TORIES AMID CHAMPAGNE SAGA
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