Allegra Stratton
Former political aide and journalist
Ms Stratton, 41, resigned with a tearful statement last night as she acknowledged her remarks had “seemed to make light of the rules” and added that she would “regret those remarks for the rest of my days”.
She entered the political fray in April last year, leaving behind a successful career in journalism to become director of strategic communications to Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor. She knew Mr Sunak well personally, since her husband James Forsyth, political editor at The Spectator, was his best friend in their school days. The two couples are said to be godparents to each other’s children.
Six months after joining the Treasury team, she was promoted to a newly created role as Downing Street press secretary – the position she held at the time of the alleged party in December last year. Plans for her to give regular White House-style televised briefings were later abandoned, however, at which juncture she was made a spokesman for the Cop26 climate change summit.
Born in Chiswick, south-west London, and the eldest of four children, Ms Stratton attended a local private school and then read archaeology and anthropology at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
After graduating, she became a producer at the BBC, then a political correspondent at The Guardian. Her rise continued as she was appointed political editor at Newsnight and then national editor at ITV News.
Last night, Boris Johnson praised Ms Stratton as a “fine colleague”. He said he “wanted to pay tribute to her” and that she “achieved a great deal in her time” in Government.