Calls for No 10 aides to resign as allies say Stratton was ‘the fall guy’

TWO more of Boris Johnson’s aides were under mounting pressure last night over their alleged involvement in the Downing Street Christmas party.

Jack Doyle, the Prime Minister’s director of communications, is understood to have handed out awards to staff at the event on Dec 18 last year, which was said to be attended by up to 50 people.

Mr Doyle, then deputy communications chief, also gave a short speech thanking members of his team for their efforts over the past year.

However, sources familiar with the situation told ITV News that senior figures regularly thanked staff at the end of the week and that such events were commonplace.

Downing Street last night continued to maintain that the event was not a “party” and that no rules were broken.

However, it confirmed it would not hold a Christmas party this year. A spokesman said: “Number 10 is focused on tackling the rise of the new omicron variant and the ongoing pandemic, and there are therefore no plans for a party.”

The announcement just came a day after Mr Johnson said Christmas parties could go ahead this year. Meanwhile, the special adviser who put Allegra Stratton on the spot at a rehearsal press conference was also under pressure to quit after sources insisted he had also attended the Downing Street party.

Ed Oldfield is heard joking in a video of the mock press conference, asking Ms Stratton if she had seen “reports on Twitter that there was a Downing Street Christmas party on Friday night?”

Ms Stratton, laughing nervously, responds: “I went home.”

Sources insisted that Ms Stratton had only briefly “popped into” the party before going home while Mr Oldfield, Downing Street’s head of broadcast, had attended for some hours.

That disclosure prompted calls for Mr Oldfield, 24, the son of a Conservative party donor, to resign amid growing concern that Ms Stratton had been scapegoated after being put on the spot by her colleague.

A former Cabinet minister said: “I’ve looked at the video, she [Allegra Stratton] appeared in the video to be bewildered. She’s been made into the fall guy.

“I think those asking her the questions should be resigning, because while she was likely not at the party, they very likely were.

“She is clearly less culpable, but if those people were there they clearly should go.” Andrew Mitchell, a former Cabinet minister, said: “I don’t like the way Allegra was treated and obliged to come out on to her doorstep in tears and made to recant when she was not a principal figure involved in the wrongdoing.”

A well-placed source said yesterday: “This is rough justice. Allegra had popped into the event for just a few minutes before going home, just as she said on the rehearsal video. But Ed was at the party along with a lot of other people in that room.”

Mr Oldfield did not respond to requests for comment yesterday. Pursued by a Sky News reporter, Mr Oldfield declined to comment when asked: “Are you planning to resign?” Friends of Ms Stratton have told The Daily Telegraph she feels “betrayed” and left “deeply hurt” by the leaking of the video to ITV News, where she had worked before taking up a job in Whitehall.

The Telegraph understands that the video was sent to Nathan Lee, who had been her producer when she was UK editor of ITV News. Ms Stratton has told friends she understood that ITV had its job to do in breaking the story but was upset that she had not been contacted by former friends and colleagues and warned of its imminent broadcast.

The Government yesterday announced that Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, would expand his investigation to look into claims that three parties took place last year when London was under strict Covid-19 restrictions.

Michael Ellis, the Cabinet Office minister, said Mr Case would also investigate allegations of a leaving do in No10 on Nov 27 and a gathering at the Department for Education on Dec 10.

It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed that Lord Lister, the former No 10 chief of staff, had allegedly joined the Prime Minister at the leaving do in November last year.

Those who were present have confirmed Mr Johnson gave a speech at the event, which was attended by approximately 30 press officers and aides.

The initial inquiry had been focussed solely on the alleged No10 party on Dec 18, prompting claims that the Prime Minister was seeking to exclude other events he allegedly participated in.

Mr Ellis yesterday told MPS the inquiry would cover all three events.

“The primary purpose of the Cabinet Secretary’s investigation will be to swiftly establish a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings, including attendance, the setting and the purpose, and with reference to adherence to the guidance in place at the time,” Mr Ellis said. “If required, the investigation will establish whether individual disciplinary action is warranted,” he added, noting that ministers, special advisers and civil servants will be “expected to co-operate with this investigation”.

However, in the terms of reference for Mr Case’s investigation, published last night, it emerged that he would also have scope to expand his inquiries should “credible allegations relating to other gatherings” come to light.

While the focus of the public and MPS’ ire has until now centred on allegations over the Christmas party, there are suggestions that as many as seven gatherings took place in Westminster between November and December in breach of Covid restrictions.

Two are alleged to have occurred on Nov 13, the day that Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, the former No10 aides, resigned following a power struggle with Carrie Johnson.

Meanwhile, The Times disclosed that on Dec 14 advisers at Conservative Party headquarters held a party with Shaun Bailey, the then Tory candidate for the London mayoralty. More than two dozen party aides and volunteers are said to have been present at the allegedly “raucous” bash.