The Daily Telegraph

Parties held at No10 as Her Majesty mourned

- By Tony Diver and Ben Riley-smith

DOWNING STREET staff drank alcohol into the early hours at two leaving events the night before Prince Philip’s socially-distanced funeral, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Some attendees played music in the basement and danced as a senior No 10 adviser acted as DJ, a witness told this newspaper.

It is also alleged that one person present went to a nearby Co-op with a suitcase to collect bottles of wine. One of the gatherings, which merged into one as the night wore on, was held to mark the last working day of James Slack, Mr Johnson’s director of communicat­ions, and the other the departure of one of the Prime Minister’s photograph­ers.

They took place on the evening of April 16 2021. The next day, the Queen sat alone at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in St George’s Chapel because of Covid-19 restrictio­ns.

Writing in The Telegraph today, Andrew Bridgen becomes the fifth Conservati­ve MP to call for Mr Johnson to resign. Mr Bridgen says he has submitted a letter of no confidence to the 1922 Committee.

Mr Johnson cancelled a public event yesterday, saying he was self-isolating after a family member tested positive for Covid-19. The Metropolit­an Police said it would wait for the outcome of Ms Gray’s report before investigat­ing.

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