Partygate
Partygate was a political scandal in the United Kingdom about gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when public health restrictions prohibited most gatherings. The scandal contributed to Boris Johnson's downfall as Prime Minister and his resignation as an MP.
While several lockdowns were in place, gatherings took place at 10 Downing Street, its garden and other government and Conservative Party buildings. Reports of these events later attracted media attention, public backlash and political controversy. In January 2022, twelve gatherings came under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, including at least three attended by Johnson, the prime minister. The police issued 126 fixed penalty notices to 83 individuals, including Johnson, his wife Carrie and Rishi Sunak, who all apologised and paid the penalties.
The first reporting was on 30 November 2021 by the Daily Mirror of 10 Downing Street staff gatherings during the 2020 Christmas season. Johnson said rules had been followed, and Downing Street denied that a party took place. A week later, video of a mock press conference in 10 Downing Street was broadcast in which joking comments about a party having taken place were made. Allegra Stratton was featured in the video during her role as Downing Street Press Secretary. She resigned her subsequent government position after the video surfaced. Shaun Bailey resigned as chair of the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee after evidence emerged that he had attended a gathering, where it was alleged that Covid regulations had been broken on 14 December 2020 with Conservative Party staff. In January 2022, reports emerged of an event with drinks on 20 May 2020 in the garden of 10 Downing Street during the first national lockdown. Johnson said that he attended and apologised for doing so. Downing Street apologised to Queen Elizabeth II for two events on 16 April 2021, the day before Prince Philip's funeral, during a third lockdown across England. Reports followed of a gathering celebrating Johnson's birthday in June 2020.
After the mock press conference video leaked, on 8 December 2021, Johnson announced a Cabinet Office inquiry, eventually undertaken by civil servant Sue Gray. In January 2022, the Metropolitan Police opened its own investigation into potential breaches of COVID-19 regulations, which delayed Gray's report. An update on Gray's investigation was published on 31 January 2022. Gray's final report in May 2022 described multiple events, including excessive drinking and a lack of respect shown to cleaning and security staff. She concluded that senior political and civil service leadership "must bear responsibility for this culture".
Public disquiet over the events led to a decline in public support for Johnson, the government and the Conservatives, and contributed to the party's loss of the 2021 North Shropshire by-election and poor performance in the 2022 local elections. In early 2022, a number of opposition, and a few Conservative politicians called for Johnson's resignation or a confidence vote. The scandal led to the resignation of five senior Downing Street staff in February, and that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice David Wolfson in April. On 21 April, MPs referred the allegations that Johnson misled Parliament over events to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee. Johnson won the confidence vote with less than 60% of the vote: just over a month later, on 7 July, following mass resignations from his government, Johnson announced he would resign as Prime Minister.
On 9 June 2023, Johnson resigned as an MP after having received the committee's draft report. The committee's final report, published six days later, concluded Johnson had deliberately and repeatedly misled Parliament and impugned and intimidated the committee, would have recommended a 90-day suspension had he not resigned, and recommended that Johnson not be given a courtesy access pass to Parliament otherwise given to former MPs. On 19 June 2023, MPs voted 354 to 7 to accept the results of the privileges committee report, which included Johnson having his privilege to access parliament removed.
Background
COVID-19 lockdowns in the United Kingdom
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, a UK-wide lockdown began on 23 March 2020 under a new statutory instrument. This was a stay-at-home order that prohibited all non-essential travel and social gatherings. Some rules were incrementally relaxed in the following months in England; starting from 13 May, "two people from separate households were permitted to meet outside in a public place". Six people were allowed to socialise outdoors by June, and indoor social gatherings were permitted from 4 July.With the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in much of England, a second national lockdown started on 5 November 2020. A regional tiered lockdown system replaced this on 2 December. London was initially placed in "Tier 2", was moved to the highest level "Tier 3" on 16 December, and finally placed under a newly introduced stay-at-home order, "Tier 4", on 19 December. Socialising between households or outside of support bubbles was not allowed throughout this period. Household mixing and socialising for Christmas itself was also restricted to a small number of households and only permitted on 25 December across much of the UK, and in London was cancelled altogether.
On 5 January 2021, a third lockdown began across the whole of England. This was gradually lifted in a series of steps beginning 29 March, with social contact limited to groups of six from no more than two households and outdoors, into April.
Westminster
is a government building in the City of Westminster, central London, used by some staff in the Cabinet Office. It also contains a personal flat designated for the prime minister, though Boris Johnson used the larger flat in the adjoining 11 Downing Street during his premiership. The Cabinet Office is based at 70 Whitehall, connected to 10 and 11 Downing Street.Social drinks at the end of the week, known as "wine time Friday", were a standing tradition in the Number 10 press office before the pandemic.
ITV News quoted anonymous staff saying that, unlike at other Government departments, there was little attention paid to social distancing or wearing face masks in 10 Downing Street.
Timeline of reporting and reaction
2021
Up to 6 December
, then the political editor at the Daily Mirror, said that she was first told of breaches of COVID-19 regulations involving the Conservative Party in January 2021, but was unable to get the story "over the line". In October 2021, she received evidence from a contact. As a result, on 30 November 2021, the Daily Mirror reported allegations that some Downing Street staff had held three gatherings in November and December 2020, when London was under COVID-19 tier 3 lockdown restrictions. Crerar has subsequently said that, at that time, she was aware of further allegations, but that they were not sufficiently confirmed to be included.The restrictions in November and December 2020 prohibited indoor gatherings of more than six people, with exceptions for certain work-related activities. A leaving party for an aide was reported to have been held on 27 November 2020 and attended by Johnson. A Christmas party on 18 December was reported, and a smaller gathering on 13 November "where they were all getting totally plastered". Downing Street denied that a party had taken place, insisting "Covid rules have been followed at all times".
The following day, other media outlets reported further details of the event on 18 December with a source telling the Financial Times that parties were vital for Downing Street staff to relieve stress. At Prime Minister's Questions, Johnson told the Commons: "All guidance was followed completely Number 10". Some Downing Street staff were angered by the denials.
On 3 December, Labour MP Barry Gardiner wrote to the Metropolitan Police asking them to investigate, but they responded saying that they do not normally investigate "retrospective breaches of the Covid-19 regulations". On 5 December, the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab told Andrew Marr that if a "formal party" had taken place "then of course it would be wrong" but that the reports were based on "unsubstantiated, anonymous claims" which is why Downing Street did not respond more directly. Raab also stated "the police don't normally look back and investigate things that have taken place a year ago", about which a Full Fact investigation concluded "Police often investigate alleged offences which took place years before. This is less clear cut in the context of breaches of Covid-19 regulations, which police say they do not routinely investigate retrospectively". On 6 December, former government adviser Dominic Cummings alleged that unnamed journalists attended the reported party and that it was "very unwise for No 10 to lie" about the events; Downing Street reiterated its denials.
Stratton video (7–8 December)
had been contacted by a Downing Street staff member with a video clip, that had been widely circulated at Number 10, before the Daily Mirror first broke the Partygate story. That source, frustrated by the government's denials to the Mirror's story, agreed to let ITV News air the video, which they did on 7 December 2021. In the video, then-Downing Street Press Secretary Allegra Stratton and other Downing Street staff – during a mock press conference on 22 December 2020 – made joking references to a Christmas gathering in 10 Downing Street four days earlier on 18 December 2020. The leaked 47-second clip began with media advisor Ed Oldfield playing the role of a journalist and asking Stratton: "I've just seen reports on Twitter that there was a Downing Street Christmas party on Friday night, do you recognise those reports?" In response, Stratton and other Downing Street staff joked about the "fictional party" being just "cheese and wine" and a "business meeting", with "no social distancing".The Guardian said that the video gave "the strong impression that a staff-based party took place on 18 December 2020 and that No 10 officials realised that they were likely to have broken rules". BBC News reported that the event had "several dozen" attendees, and that "party games were played, food and drink were served, and the party went on past midnight". The Times reported allegations that the party was organised via WhatsApp with staff requested to bring Secret Santa gifts.
On 8 December, Johnson addressed the house and said he was "furious" to see that video, and that he "apologises unreservedly" for the offence and impression given by it. He said it "shocked" him to see it, as he had had repeated assurances that no party had taken place.
Later on 8 December, during Prime Minister's Questions, Labour MP Catherine West asked: "Will the Prime Minister tell the House whether there was a party in Downing Street on 13 November?" Johnson replied: "No, but I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times." Three hours later, Stratton resigned from her position as government spokesperson for the COP26 summit and apologised for her remarks which she said she would regret "for the rest of days". ITV News reported in January 2023 that, at the time, staff in Downing Street were "shocked" at the reporting and Johnson's denials. Staff also said that Stratton herself never attended any of the parties. ITV News quoted one staff member as saying Downing Street initially thought that, after Stratton's resignation, the story would be gone within a week.
On 8 December, the Metropolitan Police said they had "received a significant amount of correspondence relating to allegations reported in the media" and that this had been "considered by detectives in detail, as well as footage published by ITV News". They concluded that the correspondence and footage did not provide evidence of a breach of regulations and said they would not open an investigation into it at that time