Downing Street apologises for two parties as Queen mourned

Downing Street has apologised to Buckingham Palace after it emerged parties were reportedly held in Number 10 the day before the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral last year.

Two gatherings reportedly took place at Downing Street, with the Prime Minister's former director of communications James Slack apologising for the "anger and hurt" one of the events - a leaving do held for him - had caused.

The events were held in April last year, while the country was in a period of national mourning, it was reported. The Prime Minister was said to have been away from Downing Street at the time.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister confirmed No 10 has said sorry to the Palace.

The spokesman said: "It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No 10 has apologised to the Palace.

"You heard from the PM this week, he's recognised No 10 should be held to the highest standards, and take responsibility for things we did not get right."

The day after the events on April 16, 2021, the Queen attended her husband Philip's funeral wearing a face mask and socially distanced from her family at Windsor Castle, in line with Covid restrictions.

"Whilst she mourned, Number 10 partied"

Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

"The Queen sitting alone, mourning the loss of her husband, was the defining image of lockdown. Not because she is the Queen, but because she was just another person, mourning alone like too many others.

"Whilst she mourned, Number 10 partied. Johnson must go."

His comments were echoed by Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, who wrote on Twitter:

"The Queen sat alone in mourning like so many did at the time with personal trauma & sacrifice to keep to the rules in the national interest.

"I have no words for the culture & behaviours at number 10 and the buck stops with the PM."

Fran Hall, from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said:

"If your neighbours had behaved like this, you'd have been disgusted. For the people running the country to do it and then lie about it, shows a complete disdain for the general public.

"We shared the same pain of grieving in isolation as the Queen did. And she must be just as sickened as we are at hearing this. Sadly, instead of doing the decent thing and resigning, we can expect the Prime Minister to continue shamefully lying to our faces.

"The Conservative MPs that are keeping him in power disgrace their country."

Reported 30 letters submitted in vote of no confidence

The news came as Andrew Bridgen, the Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, was the latest to publicly announce he had submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister on Thursday night.

He was the fifth MP to say he had written to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, calling for a vote on the PM's future as head of the party.

It's reported that as many as 30 letters have been submitted so far.

A total of 54 are needed to trigger a vote.

A blow was also landed on the PM from the Sutton Coldfield Conservatives, an association in a safe Tory seat, which reportedly passed a motion calling for Mr Johnson to stand down.

Senor official Sue Gray is examining a series of parties and gatherings held in No 10 and Whitehall in 2020 while coronavirus restrictions were in force.

Party to mark the departures Mr Johnson's former director of communications and one of the PM's personal photographers

The new allegations that two Downing Street parties took place the week after Philip's death, and on the eve of his funeral, emerged on Thursday evening.

The Telegraph reported that advisers and civil servants gathered after work for two separate events on April 16 2021.

They were to mark the departures of James Slack, Mr Johnson's former director of communications, and one of the PM's personal photographers, the newspaper said.

The Telegraph cited a No 10 spokesperson as saying Mr Johnson was not in Downing Street that day. He is said to have been at Chequers.

It reported accounts from witnesses who said alcohol was drunk and guests danced to music.

The two events are said to have started separately and later merged.

At the time, Government guidance stated:

"You must not socialise indoors except with your household or support bubble. You can meet outdoors, including in gardens, in groups of six people or two households."

A Downing Street spokesperson said of Mr Slack's event:

"On this individual's last day he gave a farewell speech to thank each team for the work they had done to support him, both those who had to be in the office for work and on a screen for those working from home."

The spokesperson offered no further comment on the allegations that a farewell gathering was held for the PM's personal photographer.

The Government's second apology this week

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister apologised for attending a "bring your own booze" party in the Downing Street garden in May 2020, during the first coronavirus lockdown, but insisted he believed it was a work event and could "technically" have been within the rules.

Members of the Government urged his critics to wait for the findings of Ms Gray's inquiry before passing judgment after Tory MPs began publicly calling for him to quit.

Cabinet ministers defended Mr Johnson after his apology on Wednesday, but the late interventions of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Chancellor Rishi Sunak - both tipped as potential successors - did little to instil confidence in his future.

The Metropolitan Police indicated any investigation by them would depend on evidence unearthed in the Gray inquiry.

The prospect of a police investigation had led to the possibility that the inquiry could be paused, but a Scotland Yard statement said:

"The Met has ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office in relation to this inquiry.

"If the inquiry identifies evidence of behaviour that is potentially a criminal offence it will be passed to the Met for further consideration."

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