PM facing claims he attended party in lockdown

Boris Johnson reportedly attended a party with staff in the No 10 garden during the first lockdown in May last year.

The Guardian and The Independent reported that Mr Johnson was present for 15 minutes at the gathering following a Covid press conference on May 15 2020.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police said it will make contact with two people who attended a gathering organised by Shaun Bailey’s London mayoral campaign at the Conservative Party HQ in London on December 14 2020 in relation to alleged breaches of coronavirus regulations.

Mr Bailey has apologised for the event and quit his role chairing the London police and crime committee after pictures of the event were published.

In response to the latest claims about the prime minister, Downing Street said Mr Johnson “briefly” met then health secretary Matt Hancock and his team in the garden, which was “regularly” used for work meetings during the summer.

According to the Guardian and Independent’s sources, around 20 staff drank alcohol and ate pizza following the press conference at which Mr Hancock had told the public to stay at home “as much as is possible” and stressed the rules meant “you can meet one other person from outside your household in an outdoor, public place” as long as you kept two metres apart.

The PM is alleged to have told one aide that they deserved a drink for “beating back” coronavirus.

Some aides reportedly carried on drinking into the evening, although there was no suggestion Mr Johnson or Mr Hancock had any alcohol or stayed late.