Boris Johnson 'will claim lockdown bashes were part of the job'

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Boris Johnson will tell police the three leaving parties he attended briefly amid the Covid-19 lockdown were a ‘part of working life’, according to a source.

The Prime Minister, who this week received his questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in No 10, is expected to claim the parties were a function of his job.

Mr Johnson, who has appointed a lawyer to work on his responses, is believed to have attended six of the 12 Downing Street parties being probed by Scotland Yard.

But he is expected to use his call logs and his diary to show how he was at three leaving parties for only a brief period of time before carrying on with work, The Times reports.

Boris Johnson (leaving Downing Street) will tell police the three leaving parties he attended briefly were a function of his job

A source told The Times: ‘Saying goodbye to staff is part of working life.’

The Metropolitan Police has begun sending questions to up to 50 people in No 10 believed to have attended the illicit gatherings during lockdown, including the Prime Minister and reportedly his wife Carrie Johnson.

The move means Mr Johnson will have to provide a credible reason as to why he was at events held during coronavirus restrictions or face a fine.

Mr Johnson is believed to have attended as many as six of the parties being investigating by the Metropolitan Police.

One such party was allegedly organised by Carrie Johnson in the official Downing Street residence on November 13, 2020.

Another was the ‘bring your own booze’ garden which took place during the first lockdown in May 2020.

No 10 confirmed last week that the Prime Minister had received the legal form from Metropolitan Police officers and said he would ‘respond as required’.

A No 10 spokesman said: ‘We can confirm the Prime Minister has received a questionnaire from the Metropolitan Police. He will respond as required.’

The Met Police say the questionnaires asks for an ‘account and explanation of the recipient’s participation in an event’ and have ‘formal legal status and must be answered truthfully’.

Mr Johnson is believed to have attended as many as six of the parties being investigating by the Metropolitan Police. One of the parties under investigation is the ‘bring your own booze’ garden in May 2020 (pictured)

More Tory MPs are poised to call for the PM to go if he is found to have broken his own coronavirus laws, or further damaging details emerge from the Sue Gray (pictured) inquiry

Officers working on Operation Hillman are sending the questionnaires to more than 50 individuals across Downing Street and wider Government as they investigate the events.

Downing Street shared that Mr Johnson had received the questionnaire shortly before 10pm last Friday amid a mounting crisis in Ukraine and fears that Russia could invade its neighbour.

Outgoing Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick this week suggested some of those being contacted by officers will end up with fines.

‘Clearly, some, but probably not all, of those people may very well end up with a ticket,’ she told BBC Radio London.

Meanwhile former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said it would be ‘very tough’ for Mr Johnson to cling on to power if he was fined.

‘It will be difficult, he knows that,’ the senior MP said in an interview with the i newspaper.

Outgoing Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick this week suggested some of those being contacted by officers will end up with fines

Sir Iain added: ‘If you’ve set the laws, and you break them and the police decide you have broken them… and then there’s the unredacted (Sue Gray) report – the two things will come together.’

Fifteen Tory MPs have publicly called for Mr Johnson to go, while more are thought to have privately written to the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories calling for a no confidence vote.

More are poised to do so if the Prime Minister is found to have broken his own coronavirus laws, or further damaging details emerge from the Sue Gray inquiry.

The PM will face a vote of no confidence if 54 Conservatives write to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady, and would be ousted if more than half of his MPs subsequently voted against him.

Timeline: The Downing Street parties being probed by the police

Boris Johnson has received a questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.

The Prime Minister may have attended as many as six events that are being looked into by police, according to reports.

A ‘bring your own booze party’ attended by Mr Johnson during the first Covid lockdown and a gathering to mark his birthday are among 12 parties being investigated.

Further details have since been reported, suggesting the Conservative Party leader was seen heading to a party in his No 11 residence on the night his former senior aide Dominic Cummings departed, and that he briefly attended a leaving do for one of his former defence advisers.

The 12 parties being investigated by the Metropolitan Police are:

– May 20 2020: Bring Your Own Booze party:

A leaked email from the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds showed No 10 staff were invited to ‘bring your own booze’ to an event in the Downing Street garden.

Mr Johnson has admitted he was there for 25 minutes, but said he thought it was a ‘work event’ to thank staff for their efforts during the pandemic.

– June 18 2020: Cabinet Office leaving do:

Senior civil servant Sue Gray’s interim report said a gathering in the 70 Whitehall building was held to mark the departure of a No 10 private secretary.

The event had not previously been disclosed but The Telegraph said the official in question is former home affairs policy adviser Hannah Young, who left Downing Street to take up the role of deputy consul general in New York.

The newspaper said it understood about 20 people attended, with alcohol consumed.

– June 19 2020: Boris Johnson’s 56th birthday:

Downing Street has admitted staff ‘gathered briefly’ in the Cabinet Room in what was reportedly a surprise get-together for the Prime Minister organised by his now wife Carrie.

The PA news agency was told Lulu Lytle, the interior designer behind lavish renovations of the Downing Street flat, briefly attended while undertaking work there.

However, No 10 has denied a report that, later the same evening, family and friends were hosted upstairs to celebrate the occasion.

– November 13 2020: Downing Street flat do:

Mrs Johnson reportedly hosted parties in the official flat over No 11 where she and Mr Johnson live, including one event on November 13, the night of Dominic Cummings’ acrimonious departure.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s wife called the claim ‘total nonsense’.

But reports have since suggested that the Prime Minister was seen heading up to the flat on the night in question, with the Mail On Sunday stating that Abba songs, including The Winner Takes It All, were heard coming from the residence.

Mr Cummings, former de facto chief-of-staff at No 10, has alleged there are photographs of parties held at the flat during lockdown and said he has spoken to people who heard music coming from the Johnsons’ accommodation on the night he exited Downing Street.

– November 13 2020: Leaving party for senior aide:

According to reports at the time, Mr Johnson gave a leaving speech for Lee Cain, his departing director of communications and a close ally of Mr Cummings.

– December 17 2020: Cabinet Office ‘Christmas party’:

The Cabinet Secretary Simon Case removed himself from the inquiry into Whitehall parties – to be replaced by Ms Gray – after reports emerged of a gathering in the Cabinet Office.

It was reported the do had been organised by a private secretary in Mr Case’s team, and that it was included in digital calendars as: ‘Christmas party!’ and included an online quiz.

The Cabinet Office said Mr Case played no part in the event ‘but walked through the team’s office on the way to his own’.

– December 17 2020: Leaving drinks for former Covid Taskforce head:

The former director-general of the Government’s Covid Taskforce Kate Josephs said she was ‘truly sorry’ over leaving drinks held in the Cabinet Office.

– December 17 2020: No 10 leaving do:

A leaving do was held for a departing Downing Street official.

The Telegraph reported that the staff member in question is Captain Steve Higham, then one of Mr Johnson’s private secretaries, who advised on defence and national security issues.

The Mirror, which first reported the event before the police investigation began, said Mr Johnson was only there ‘for a few minutes’.

Capt Higham became Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in July 2021.

– December 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party:

Officials and advisers reportedly made speeches, enjoyed a cheese board, drank together and exchanged Secret Santa gifts, although the Prime Minister is not thought to have attended.

Mr Johnson’s spokeswoman Allegra Stratton resigned after video emerged of her joking about a ‘fictional party’ at a mock press conference.

– January 14 2021: More Downing Street leaving drinks:

A gathering was held in No 10 to mark the departure of two private secretaries.

Reports have suggested the Prime Minister attended the leaving event, which was for a senior civil servant in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, according to The Telegraph.

The other official’s identity is so far unknown.

– April 16 2021: Leaving drinks on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral:

The night before the Queen sat alone at the funeral of her husband of almost 70 years, in compliance with Covid rules at the time, two leaving dos were reportedly held in No 10.

Downing Street apologised to Buckingham Palace after reported details emerged of boozy drinks parties, including one for outgoing communications director James Slack.

Events not subject to police investigation:

– May 15 2020: Cheese and wine in the No 10 garden:

A photograph emerged of a number of groups gathered in the No 10 garden, including Mr Johnson, Mrs Johnson, Mr Cummings and Mr Reynolds sitting together on the terrace.

– November 27 2020: Another special adviser leaves:

Mr Johnson reportedly gave a leaving speech at a gathering for Cleo Watson, another ally of Mr Cummings.

– December 10 2020: Department for Education Christmas drinks:

Then education secretary Gavin Williamson reportedly threw a party and delivered a short speech at his department’s Whitehall headquarters.

– December 15 2020: An online Christmas quiz in No 10:

The Prime Minister appeared on contestants’ screens at the quiz but insisted he broke no rules.

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Source: Daily Mail