What we know about the alleged Downing Street parties so far

By | December 16, 2021
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The biggest political story of the last month has been a series of reports on parties allegedly held late last year in Downing Street and Westminster at a time when strict Covid-19 restrictions were in force.

Much of the coverage so far has been based on political journalists’ off-the-record sources, so we don’t yet know the full story of what happened. The government has repeatedly insisted all rules were followed, but it’s left many questions unanswered, and the Cabinet Secretary has now launched an investigation. 

Below we explain what parties are alleged to have taken place, what the government’s said at different points—and crucially what the law said at the time. This is a fast-moving story—the following is correct as of 3pm on 16 December 2021.

How many alleged parties were there? 

The reports centre around seven gatherings in total—four at Number 10 Downing Street, plus two more in Government departments and one in Conservative party headquarters. Here’s a rundown of the Downing Street allegations:

What has the government said? 

The government has repeatedly insisted all Covid rules were followed at all times in Downing Street, but has declined to answer many questions in detail—and its line has changed as the story unfolded:

  • 30 November 2021: Responding to the first allegations in the Mirror, a Downing Street spokesperson did not deny the claims, but said: “Covid rules have been followed at all times.” Separately, a spokesperson for Carrie Johnson denied any parties had taken place in the Number 10 flat, telling the Mirror: “This is total nonsense. Mrs Johnson has followed coronavirus rules at all times and it is categorically untrue to suggest otherwise.”

  • 1 December 2021: Asked at PMQs if a party took place in Downing Street on 18 December 2020, Mr Johnson said: “All guidance was followed completely in Number 10.”

  • 2 December 2021: Asked about reports of a party on BBC Question Time, vaccines minister Maggie Throup said: “I have been reassured that all guidance was carefully followed.” When pressed, she said: “Whatever the event was, then the guidance was followed”, later describing the reports as “rumour and hearsay”.

  • 5 December 2021: On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, justice secretary Dominic Raab said: “The PM’s been very clear, no rules were broken. I wasn’t there, by the way.” He added: “If anyone held a party contrary to the rules, of course, that’s the wrong thing to do. As a lawyer and as a politician, it’s not a responsible thing to start answering hypothetical questions about anonymous sources in relation to unsubstantiated claims.” During the same appearance Mr Raab said the police “don’t normally look back and investigate things that have taken place a year ago”—a claim we fact checked recently.

  • 6 December 2021: Policing minister Kit Malthouse appeared on Sky News and, in apparent contradiction to Mr Raab’s comments, said: “The police should be investigating anything that is a historic crime that is reported to them.” The same day a Downing Street spokesperson stated explicitly that no party had taken place on 18 December 2020, saying: “As the press secretary set out at a number of occasions, when questioned about this originally, there was not a party and the Covid rules were followed at all times.”

  • 8 December 2021: Speaking at PMQs after footage of Downing Street staff laughing about a party emerged, Mr Johnson said: “I understand and share the anger up and down the country at seeing Number 10 staff seeming to make light of lockdown measures.

    He added: “I was also furious to see that clip. I apologise unreservedly for the offence that it has caused up and down the country, and I apologise for the impression that it gives.

    “I repeat that I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken…But I have asked the Cabinet Secretary to establish all the facts and to report back as soon as possible. It goes without saying that if those rules were broken, there will be disciplinary action for all those involved.”

    Asked whether he could say if there had been a flat party on 13 November 2020, Mr Johnson said: “No, but I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed.”

  • 11 December 2021: In response to the Mirror’s story about the Christmas quiz, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “This was a virtual quiz. Downing Street staff were often required to be in the office to work on the pandemic response so those who were in the office for work may have attended virtually from their desks. The Prime Minister briefly took part virtually in a quiz to thank staff for their hard work throughout the year.”

Allegations over parties aren’t just limited to Downing Street

Three other events have also been under scrutiny: 

  • 25 November 2020: Treasury drinks. According to the Times, more than 20 people attended a drinks event held in Treasury offices.

    A Treasury spokesperson told the Times: “In line with the guidance at the time, a number of staff came into the office to work on the Spending Review 2020. We have been made aware that a small number of those staff had impromptu drinks around their desks after the event.”

  • 10 December 2020: Department for Education drinks. The Mirror also revealed “up to two dozen” employees at the Department for Education (DfE) gathered in the department’s cafe for “drinks and canapes”.

    A DfE spokesperson said: “The gathering was used to thank those staff for their efforts during the pandemic. While this was work-related, looking back we accept it would have been better not to have gathered in this way at that particular time.”

  • 14 December 2020: Mayoral campaign event. The Times alleged Shaun Bailey, who in December 2020 was running as Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, attended a “raucous” party, with drinking and dancing.

    The paper said a Conservative Party spokesperson “confirmed the ‘unauthorised social gathering’… and said that ‘formal disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff who were seconded to the Bailey campaign’”.

    The Mirror later published a picture which it said was from the event, showing at least 20 people with some holding drinks next to party food. Mr Bailey has now resigned as chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee. He tweeted: “I want to apologise unreservedly for attending a gathering held by some of my staff in my campaign office.”  

What was the law at the time? 

The alleged parties took place at a time when Covid restrictions were rapidly changing—between 13 November 2020 and 18 December 2020 London was subject to three different sets of rules:

Was there a potential loophole permitting gatherings in Downing Street? 

Some reports have suggested there may potentially be a legal loophole covering properties, such as Number 10, which are part of the Crown Estate. 

As human rights barrister Adam Wagner tweeted, the 1984 legislation on which the tier system was founded might mean Downing Street was exempt from the regulations.

However, whether this exemption might actually have applied remains unclear. Another barrister, Charles Holland tweeted that Westminster City Council would have had to agree to the exemption for it to apply. We’ve asked Westminster City Council about this and will update this explainer when we hear back.

What is being investigated? 

As set out above, Mr Johnson announced on 8 December that he had asked Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to “establish all the facts and report back as soon as possible”. 

On 13 December health secretary Sajid Javid confirmed Mr Case would be able to investigate any events in Downing Street which were alleged to contravene lockdown rules in late 2020. The BBC has reported Mr Case will investigate the events in Downing Street on 27 November 2020, 15 December 2020 and 18 December 2020, alongside the alleged DfE party.

According to The Times, Downing Street staff have been told to expect the results of Mr Case’s review before Christmas, and potentially as soon as the end of this week, although no official date has been given.

We don’t know all the facts at this stage or what the outcome of the review will be. But it’s important to note there’s a requirement on all those working in the public sector to be honest and open. They are expected to adhere to ethical standards which state that they are accountable to the public for their actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

In addition to this, ministers are expected to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety, in accordance with the Ministerial Code which sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers. They are also required to give accurate and truthful information to Parliament and to correct any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.

The police say they do not plan to investigate

Thousands of people were fined over the course of 2020 for breaking Covid regulations, with 2,982 fines issued in England for participating in a gathering inside a house or any indoor space in a Tier 3 area between March 2020 and January 2021. A total of 250 people were fined for holding gatherings of more than 30 people in the same period. 

Opposition MPs have also highlighted that some recent prosecutions date back to late last year. On 8 December, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer stated in Parliament: “At Westminster Magistrates’ Court right now, the CPS are prosecuting over a dozen breaches of Covid restrictions last December including those who hosted parties.”

The Metropolitan Police has said at various points that it has been made aware of reports of Covid rules allegedly being broken at Downing Street and of the footage of the rehearsal press briefing. However, it has also said that throughout the pandemic it has not been the force’s policy to retrospectively investigate breaches of the rules. 

Most recently the force has said it will not investigate the alleged parties due to “an absence of evidence”.

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