Johnson spokesman accused of hypocrisy over ‘illegal’ party

Jamie Davies cited an MP’s breach of Covid rules but then joked on video about ‘cheese and wine’ at No10

BORIS JOHNSON’S deputy spokesman was accused of hypocrisy last night as he was unmasked as one of the officials joking about an alleged illicit party at Downing Street, having attended the event a day after warning the country to “abide by the rules”.

Jamie Davies, a senior civil servant, can be heard joking that the December 2020 event “wasn’t a party, it was cheese and wine”, on the leaked recording of a mock press conference that led to the resignation of Allegra Stratton, Mr Johnson’s senior press adviser.

At the time of the exchange, Mr Davies was the Prime Minister’s acting official spokesman.

In a question-and-answer session with journalists on the day before the Downing Street event on Dec 18, he pointed to Priti Patel’s condemnation of an “egregious” breach of Covid rules by a Tory MP who attended a “Christmas party” at a private members’ club in London days earlier, when the capital was under less stringent measures than at the time of the alleged No10 party.

“The PM has been clear throughout the pandemic that it’s vital for everybody to abide by the rules in order to suppress the virus and therefore protect the NHS and save lives,” Mr Davies told journalists on Dec 17.

The disclosure comes after the Prime Minister said that he was “sickened and furious” about the video of Ms Stratton, his former press secretary, and other No 10 staff joking about the event, which is alleged to have taken place in contravention of Covid restrictions in the run-up to Christmas last year.

Senior Tories fear the fallout over the event and the leaked video has further damaged the party’s prospects in this week’s by-election in North Shropshire, where the Conservatives currently enjoy a 23,000 majority.

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, has said it seemed “undeniable” that “some sort of party” occurred on Dec 18, while London was in Tier 3 lockdown measures.

Government sources questioned why Mr Davies appeared to have emerged from the incident unscathed, when Ms Stratton had resigned and Ed Oldfield, the 24-year-old aide who fired questions at Ms Stratton, had also come under pressure to quit.

One Government source said: “A senior civil servant has been let off the hook and the special advisers have been thrown under the bus.”

A Tory source added: “Unelected officials scolding MPs in public about following the rules whilst breaking them behind closed doors, attending illegal parties and making jokes at the public’s expense is exactly the sort of hypocrisy the public despises.”

Mr Davies is now Mr Johnson’s deputy official spokesman and head of news at No10.

He can be heard intervening in the Dec 22 rehearsal of Ms Stratton’s planned press briefings, when Mr Oldfield asks the Prime Minister’s then press secretary about the Dec 18 party and she is stuck for a response.

Laughing, Ms Stratton initially states: “I went home.” Mr Oldfield then asks whether Mr Johnson would “condone having a Christmas party”, to which Ms Stratton replies: “What’s the answer?”

Mr Davies can then be heard stating: “It wasn’t a party, it was cheese and wine.”

“Is cheese and wine all right?” Ms Stratton asks. Mr Davies then appears to state: “No, I’m joking.”

The exchange came days after, speaking on Mr Johnson’s behalf, Mr Davies condemned Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative backbencher and former Army officer who attended a Christmas dinner for 27 guests.

At the time, Ms Patel, the Home Secretary, said Mr Ellwood had broken Covid rules by attending the event, which took place hours before London was moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 restrictions and was labelled as a “party” on the organisers’ website. She suggested that Mr Ellwood could be fined.

Mr Johnson has asked Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, to investigate the event on Dec 18.

Mr Davies declined to comment. No 10 said the matter was now in Mr Case’s hands.