Fresh claims of No 10 rule-breaking drinks

Dominic Cummings has made a fresh allegation of a potentially lockdownbreaking party in Downing Street’s garden after a “senior No 10 official” invited people to “social distanced drinks” in May 2020.

The Whitehall investigation into claims of rule-breaching events as the nation social distanced to slow the spread of Covid was expanded yesterday after the accusation from Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser.

Mr Cummings said he warned at the time the event “seemed to be against the rules and should not happen” but was told it went ahead.

He said that he wrote the warning in an email that could be discovered by senior civil servant Sue Gray as she investigates a string of allegations of rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.

It was understood her investigation was expanded to include the new claim relating to May 20 2020, as well as the garden gathering five days earlier revealed by a leaked photo showing the prime minister and staff sat around cheese and wine during the first lockdown.

Ms Gray replaced Cabinet Secretary Simon Case in leading the Whitehall investigation after allegations emerged of an event taking place within his own office.

In a lengthy blog post yesterday, Mr Cummings insisted there was nothing “illegal or unethical” about the May 15 gathering.

But the Vote Leave veteran, who left Downing Street in November 2020 amid a bitter power struggle within No 10, wrote: “On Wednesday 20 May, the week after this photo, a senior No 10 official invited people to ‘socially distanced drinks’ in the garden.”

Mr Cummings said he and at least one other special adviser “said that this seemed to be against the rules and should not happen”, adding that he issued the warning “in writing so Sue Gray can dig up the original email”.

“We were ignored. I was ill and went home to bed early that afternoon but am told this event definitely happened,” he added.