Wednesday, March 27

Boris Johnson lied about lockdown party, claims Dominic Cummings | boris johnson


Dominic Cummings has accused Boris Johnson of lying after No. 10 denied that the prime minister was warned not to allow a ‘bring your own drink’ party during the first lockdown.

Johnson admitted to parliament last week that he attended drinks in Downing Street Garden on May 20, 2020, but said he had not realized it was a social gathering.

The event was organized by Johnson’s Principal Private Secretary (PPS), Martin Reynolds, who told people to “bring your own drink” but No 10 denies that the Prime Minister saw the invitation emailed to some 100 employees.

He has also denied allegations that two senior officials warned Johnson not to go ahead with the drinking event, saying this was “not true”.

But Cummings, a former top assistant to the prime minister, wrote a new blog post on Monday challenging that account. He said he personally told Reynolds that the invitation broke the rules, claiming that Reynolds responded: “As long as I’m socially distanced, I think that’s fine, I’ll check with the PM if he’s happy for me to go ahead.”

Cummings said in his blog post: “Not just me, but other eyewitnesses who discussed this at the time would swear under oath that this is what happened.”

Sue Gray, the senior official in charge of the Downing Street party investigation, may make a formal request to interview Cummings, Whitehall sources confirmed. It is within the scope of the investigation to contact former staff members if their testimony might be relevant.

No 10 staff had expected the investigation, which is examining more than 15 separate complaints of illegal gatherings in Downing Street, to conclude this week. Due to the constant trickle of new matches and developments, officials believe he can now report next week.

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The investigation is expected to describe when each alleged party occurred, how many people were present and who was involved in organizing it. It will also describe the rules at the time and might suggest whether each event appears to have broken the rules at the time.

The Gray report is not expected to recommend a criminal investigation.

Cummings later said that during a discussion about the future of the cabinet secretary and Reynolds, he had told the prime minister something like: “Martin invited the building to a drinking party, this is what I’m talking about, you have to seize of this madhouse.

Cummings added: “The Prime Minister ruled it out. He had repeatedly told her that the PPS should be replaced, as had other competent officials who knew that the entire structure needed a major upgrade in staffing and management. ‘He’s MY guy, I don’t want you to replace him with YOUR person.’ (Yes, this says a lot). I went home to bed at 3:00 pm, still very sick from Covid.

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He claimed that Reynolds had consulted with Johnson as to whether the party should go ahead, the prime minister agreed, and they both went to the party.

Another former Downing Street staffer told The Guardian: “It is inconceivable: there is no way Martin will go ahead without consulting Boris. There is no way any PPS will do it. If two older people come up to you and say, ‘this shouldn’t happen,’ then you shouldn’t continue without talking to the director.”

When asked about Cummings’ latest claims, a No 10 spokesman pointed to an earlier statement and said: “It is not true that the Prime Minister was warned about the [20 May] event in advance. Like he said… he implicitly believed this was a work event. He apologized to the house and promised to make a new statement once the investigation is concluded.”

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The May 20 party has become the most contentious event for Johnson out of all the accusations that lockdown rules were broken at Downing Street.

With Conservative MPs openly questioning Johnson’s future as party leader, there is concern among MPs about the trickle down of damaging new revelations damaging the government’s reputation.

John Crace will join a Guardian Live online event on the No 10 lockdown parties and the future of Boris Johnson this Wednesday January 19 from 20:00 to 21:00 GMT. Reserve here


www.theguardian.com

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