Insiders say No 10 parties were chaotic

Downing Street insiders have told of chaotic midlockdown parties in No 10 they felt were condoned by Boris Johnson as he “was grabbing a glass for himself ”.

Three anonymous individuals have told BBC Panorama in detail what they saw at regular rulebreaking events during coronavirus restrictions.

Their evidence will heap further pressure on the prime minister ahead of the publication of the Sue Gray partygate inquiry, which No 10 expects today.

Party debris was left overnight for people arriving at work the next day to discover after staff crowded together and sat on each other’s laps at parties, said the attendees.

One said they felt they had the permission of Mr Johnson as he was not telling them to break up the scenes when returning to his flat.

“No, he wasn’t telling anybody that. He was grabbing a glass for himself,” they said.

Mr Johnson was already under renewed pressure after images obtained by ITV News showed him raising a glass, surrounded by staff and bottles of wine.

Days after ordering England’s second national lockdown, the pictures showed the prime minister giving a toast for departing communications chief Lee Cain on November 13 2020.

Scotland Yard is facing calls to explain why he was not fined over that event and Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has demanded Mr Johnson explain why he believed his behaviour was “acceptable”.

One witness said of the party that night: “There were about 30 people, if not more, in a room. Everyone was stood shoulder to shoulder, some people on each other’s laps... one or two people.”

“Unforgivable” scenes were described at the party on April 16 last year – the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

They described a “lively event... a general party with people dancing around” that became so loud that security guards told them to go into the No 10 grounds. The insiders said the events were “every week”, with invitations for press office drinks listed in the diary as “Wine-time Friday”.

“I remember when a custodian (a security guard) tried to stop it all and he was just shaking his head in this party, being like ‘This shouldn’t be happening’,” said one attendee.

Downing Street, asked about the insiders’ claims, said there was a limit to what could be said before the investigation by Ms Gray has been submitted.

Meanwhile, No 10 was forced to deny Mr Johnson urged Ms Gray not to publish her report in a private meeting earlier this month.

The Times reported the PM suggested to the senior civil servant there was no longer any point in releasing her findings as the facts were “all out there”.

Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said he did not recognise “that characterisation” of the meeting and insisted Mr Johnson wanted the report published.

NEW REVELATIONS: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is coming under renewed pressure.