User:A Thousand Doors/sandbox2

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Color photograph of Boris Johnson, Simon Case and unidentified others with their faces blurred at a surprise birthday party for Johnson, at a time when such gatherings were against the law.
The Partygate scandal contributed to the fall of the premiership of Boris Johnson (right).[1][2]

Partygate is a ...

Lockdown parties[edit]

2020[edit]

  • 30 January: Two Chinese nationals staying at a hotel in York fall ill with the coronavirus, and become its first cases in the UK.[3]
  • 5 March: A woman in her 70s becomes the first person in the UK to die with COVID-19.[4]
  • 23 March: With the UK death toll having reached 335, Johnson announces in a televised address that the UK will go into a full lockdown. New rules mean that gatherings in public of three or more people who are not in the same household are prohibited.[5]
  • 12 April: The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals reaches 10,000.[6]
  • 5 May: The UK's death toll surpasses 32,000, overtaking Italy's as the highest in Europe.[7]
  • 13 May: Lockdown restrictions are eased for the first time. Under the new rules, people are allowed to meet one other member of another household in an outdoor public place.[8]
  • 15 May: In the garden of Downing Street, an early evening cheese and wine party is held. Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock both attend the gathering, which lasts for forty minutes to an hour.[9]
Martin Reynolds's official government portrait, taken in April 2015
Martin Reynolds (pictured in 2015) was the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from October 2019 until February 2022.[10]
  • 20 May: Martin Reynolds, Johnson's Principal Private Secretary, emails approximately 200 staff to invite them to "make the most of [the] lovely weather" and have some "socially distanced drinks" in the Downing Street garden. The email invites staff to attend from 6 p.m., and to "bring [their] own booze". Thirty to forty people attend, including Johnson for around half an hour.[11]
  • 1 June: Social distancing rules are eased again, with groups of up to six people now allowed to meet outside in parks or private gardens.[12]
  • 13 June: A "support bubble" scheme—in which single-person households are allowed to meet and stay overnight with another household—begins in England and Northern Ireland.[13]
  • 17 June: Emails are exchanged between Downing Street officials to prepare "drinks which aren't drinks" for the departure of private secretary Hannah Young the following day.[14]
  • 18 June: At 6:30 p.m., twenty-five people—including Case and Cummings—gather in the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street for Young's leaving party, which begins with alcohol and speeches. At 7:40 p.m., the party then moves into Cabinet Office, where it lasts until 3:13 a.m. One individual vomits, and a fight breaks out between two others.[15]
refer to caption
Boris Johnson (left) and Rishi Sunak (right) at a surprise party for Johnson's birthday on 19 June 2020
  • 19 June:
    • This is Johnson's 56th birthday. A surprise party is thrown for him at 2:25 p.m. in the Cabinet Office with sandwiches, beers and a cake. The event lasts for 20 minutes, and is attended by Sunak, Case and others.[15]
    • Johnson's wife Carrie holds a second birthday gathering for her husband in their Downing Street flat that evening, with a number of friends.[16]
  • 14 September: To restrict a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the UK, the government restricts social gatherings again by implementing a new "rule of six" – groups of more than six people are banned from meeting in England, either indoors or outdoors.[17]
  • 12 October: With the number of COVID-19 cases having quadrupled in three weeks, Johnson unveils new "three-tier" regulations. London is placed in the "medium" tier 1 restrictions, which includes the rule of six.[18]
  • 17 October: London is moved into the "high" tier 2 restrictions. People living in London are banned from mixing indoors with those from other households.[19]
  • 31 October: Johnson announces that the UK will go into a second nationwide lockdown from 5 November. It will last four weeks, with household mixing banned across England.[20]
  • 5 November: The second full lockdown begins. People are told to remain at home, and socialising indoors is prohibited.[21]
  • 11 November: The UK becomes the first European country to record more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19.[22]
refer to caption
Johnson attending a leaving party in Downing Street on 13 November 2020
  • 13 November:
    • A leaving do for Cain and Cummings with food and alcohol is held at 6 p.m. in 10 Downing Street. Five special advisers attend, as does Johnson, who makes a speech.[15]
    • In Johnson's flat above Downing Street, a party is held involving food, alcohol and loud music.[23]
  • 25 November:
    • The governments of the four nations of the UK agree to lift restrictions for a five-day period over Christmas, from 23 to 27 December.[24]
    • Approximately two dozen civil servants attend a drinks party in HM Treasury to celebrate Sunak's spending review.[25]
  • 27 November: A leaving party at is held at 6 p.m. for special adviser Cleo Watson. Fifteen to twenty people—including Johnson—attend, with some drinking alcohol.[26]
  • 2 December: As the four-week lockdown ends, London moves into "high" tier 2 restrictions, with indoor household mixing banned.[27]
  • 7 December: At the Department for Education, 50 members of staff are invited to have "some 'socially distanced' festive drinks" in the department's canteen on Thursday.[28]
  • 10 December: The drinks—hosted by the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson—are held in the canteen of the Department for Education. About 20 to 30 people attend the gathering, which includes wine and mince pies, and lasts for an hour.[15][26]
Head-and-shoulders colour photograph of Tobias Ellwood in July 2014.
Tobias Ellwood (pictured in 2014) was first elected to Westminster as the MP for Bournemouth East in May 2005.[29]
  • 14 December:
    • Speaking in the House of Commons, Tobias Ellwood—the MP for Bournemouth East—warns against relaxing the COVID restrictions for Christmas, saying that it "could be very dangerous indeed".[30]
    • At a press conference, Hancock warns that the number of cases of COVID-19 has increased by 14 per cent in a week, and that "everyone should minimise their social contact" to control the spread of the virus.[31]
    • A Christmas party—formally called a "Jingle and Mingle"—is held for the campaign staff of Shaun Bailey's candidacy for the 2021 London mayoral election. The gathering, at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, is attended by both Bailey and Tory aide Ben Mallett.[32]
  • 15 December:
    • Ellwood attends a "Christmas party" of 27 people at the Cavalry and Guards Club in Piccadilly.[33]
    • A Christmas quiz is held at Downing Street. Most staff dial-in online from their homes, though some attend in person. Food and alcohol is provided, with one official, wary of "drunkenness", advising staff to leave by the back entrance.[15]
refer to caption
Johnson announcing that London will move into tier 3 restrictions on 16 December 2020[34]
  • 16 December:
    • With the number of cases in London at 270 per 100,000 people, Johnson announces at a press conference that, from today, the city will move into tier 3 restrictions.[34]
    • A Christmas gathering is held for staff at the Department for Transport, with food and alcohol being served.[35]
  • 17 December:
    • The Daily Mail reports Ellwood's attendance at the Christmas party two days earlier. In a statement, the MP responds that the event was a "business meeting" and "absolutely COVID-compliant".[33] Responding to the story in an interview with ITV News, the Home Secretary Priti Patel says that gathering "with a large number of people is a breach of the regulations".[30]
    • A Christmas party is held for Case's staff at the Cabinet Office. Twelve staff attend online, but five join in the office. The event lasts for 90 minutes; food and alcohol is made available.[15]
    • A leaving party is thrown for two Downing Street officials. Twenty people gather in the Pillared Room of 10 Downing Street from 6 p.m., with most leaving by 8:45 p.m. Johnson attends for 15 minutes and delivers a speech to thank both officials.[15]
    • A second leaving do is held for Kate Josephs—a director-general in the COVID taskforce who had responsibility for writing the lockdown rules—and another unnamed official. Another twenty people attend from 7 p.m., with beer and prosecco provided and background music played.[15]
  • 18 December: A Christmas party—formally named the "End of Year Meeting with Wine & Cheese"—takes place in the Downing Street Press Office. The event, which includes a Secret Santa and an awards ceremony, lasts for several hours, during which time a panic alarm button is accidentally triggered, causing a police officer and Downing Street's on-duty custodians to arrive.[15]
  • 19 December:
    • While cleaning the Press Office following the party the previous night, a Downing Street cleaner notes that red wine has been been spilled "on one wall and on a number of boxes of photocopier paper".[15]
    • Speaking at a press conference, Johnson says that the country "cannot continue with Christmas as planned", and announces that London and South East England have been placed in newly-created tier 4 restrictions. Under these restrictions, households are not allowed to mix.[36][37]
refer to caption
Allegra Stratton in 2015
  • 22 December: In the Downing Street Press Briefing Room, Press Secretary Allegra Stratton, adviser Ed Oldfield and others hold a mock press conference to prepare Stratton for planned daily televised briefings. Over the course of the press conference, Oldfield asks Stratton if she recognises reports of a Christmas party held at Downing Street four days earlier. From the podium, Stratton laughingly responds that the party "was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced".[38]
  • 25 December: Nimco Ali, an adviser at the Home Office, spends Christmas with Johnson and his wife.[39]

2021[edit]

  • 4 January: In a televised address from Downing Street, Johnson announces that, from 6 January, England will enter a third national lockdown. Except for permitted exceptions, people are not allowed to leave their homes.[40]
  • 14 January: A "virtual leaving presentation" is held from 6 p.m. in the Pillared Room in Downing Street for two private secretaries.[41] Around 15 people attend, with Johnson delivering a speech to mark their departures. The party continues until 11 p.m.[15]
  • 26 January: The UK becomes the first European nation to record over 100,000 deaths with COVID-19, according to the government's official figures.[42]
  • 8 March: A new "roadmap" out of lockdown comes into effect. Restrictions on socialising with others are eased, with people now allowed to have socially-distanced one-on-one meetings outdoors.[43]
  • 9 April: At Windsor Castle, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at the age of 99.[44]
  • 12 April: Lockdown rules are eased in England. Working from home continues to be recommended, and socialising indoors with people from other households remains prohibited.[45]
  • 16 April: Two leaving dos are held at Downing Street: one for James Slack, the Downing Street Director of Communications, and the other for one of Johnson's personal photographers. The party for Slack begins at 6:30 p.m., and is attended by 45 people in the Downing Street Press Office, while the second takes place in the basement. The two groups merge in the Downing Street garden, with drinking continuing until 4:20 a.m.[15][26]
  • 17 April:
  • 19 July: On a day dubbed "Freedom Day" by some media outlets, almost all lockdown restrictions in England are lifted.[49]


2020[edit]

Month COVID-19 in the UK Parties
January
  • 30 January: Two Chinese nationals staying at a hotel in York fall ill with the coronavirus, and become its first cases in the UK.[3]
March
  • 5 March: A woman in her 70s becomes the first person in the UK to die with COVID-19.[4]
  • 23 March: With the UK death toll having reached 335, Johnson announces in a televised address that the UK will go into a full lockdown. New rules mean that gatherings in public of three or more people who are not in the same household are prohibited.[5]
April
  • 12 April: The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals reaches 10,000.[6]
May
  • 5 May: The UK's death toll surpasses 32,000, overtaking Italy's as the highest in Europe.[7]
  • 13 May: Lockdown restrictions are eased for the first time. Under the new rules, people are allowed to meet one other member of another household in an outdoor public place.[8]
  • 15 May: In the garden of Downing Street, an early evening cheese and wine party is held. Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock both attend the gathering, which lasts for forty minutes to an hour.[9]
  • 20 May: Martin Reynolds, Johnson's Principal Private Secretary, emails approximately 200 staff to invite them to "make the most of [the] lovely weather" and have some "socially distanced drinks" in the Downing Street garden. The email invites staff to attend from 6 p.m., and to "bring [their] own booze". Thirty to forty people attend, including Johnson for around half an hour.[11]
June
  • 1 June: Social distancing rules are eased again, with groups of up to six people now allowed to meet outside in parks or private gardens.[12]
  • 13 June: A "support bubble" scheme—in which single-person households are allowed to meet and stay overnight with another household—begins in England and Northern Ireland.[13]
  • 17 June: Emails are exchanged between Downing Street officials to prepare "drinks which aren't drinks" for the departure of private secretary Hannah Young the following day.[14]
  • 18 June: At 6:30 p.m., twenty-five people—including Case and Cummings—gather in the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street for Young's leaving party, which begins with alcohol and speeches. At 7:40 p.m., the party then moves into Cabinet Office, where it lasts until 3:13 a.m. One individual vomits, and a fight breaks out between two others.[15]
  • 19 June:
    • This is Johnson's 56th birthday. A surprise party is thrown for him at 2:25 p.m. in the Cabinet Office with sandwiches, beers and a cake. The event lasts for 20 minutes, and is attended by Sunak, Case and others.[15]
    • Johnson's wife Carrie holds a second birthday gathering for her husband in their Downing Street flat that evening, with a number of friends.[16]
September
  • 14 September: To restrict a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the UK, the government restricts social gatherings again by implementing a new "rule of six" – groups of more than six people are banned from meeting in England, either indoors or outdoors.[17]
October
  • 12 October: With the number of COVID-19 cases having quadrupled in three weeks, Johnson unveils new "three-tier" regulations. London is placed in the "medium" tier 1 restrictions, which includes the rule of six.[18]
  • 17 October: London is moved into the "high" tier 2 restrictions. People living in London are banned from mixing indoors with those from other households.[19]
  • 31 October: Johnson announces that the UK will go into a second nationwide lockdown from 5 November. It will last four weeks, with household mixing banned across England.[20]
November
  • 5 November: The second full lockdown begins. People are told to remain at home, and socialising indoors is prohibited.[21]
  • 11 November: The UK becomes the first European country to record more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19.[22]
  • 25 November: The governments of the four nations of the UK agree to lift restrictions for a five-day period over Christmas, from 23 to 27 December.[24]
  • 13 November:
    • A leaving do for Cain and Cummings with food and alcohol is held at 6 p.m. in 10 Downing Street. Five special advisers attend, as does Johnson, who makes a speech.[15]
    • In Johnson's flat above Downing Street, a party is held involving food, alcohol and loud music.[23]
  • 25 November: Approximately two dozen civil servants attend a drinks party in HM Treasury to celebrate Sunak's spending review.[25]
  • 27 November: A leaving party at is held at 6 p.m. for special adviser Cleo Watson. Fifteen to twenty people—including Johnson—attend, with some drinking alcohol.[26]
December
  • 2 December: As the four-week lockdown ends, London moves into "high" tier 2 restrictions, with indoor household mixing banned.[27]
  • 14 December:
    • Speaking in the House of Commons, Tobias Ellwood—the MP for Bournemouth East—warns against relaxing the COVID restrictions for Christmas, saying that it "could be very dangerous indeed".[30]
    • At a press conference, Hancock warns that the number of cases of COVID-19 has increased by 14 per cent in a week, and that "everyone should minimise their social contact" to control the spread of the virus.[31]
  • 16 December: With the number of cases in London at 270 per 100,000 people, Johnson announces at a press conference that, from today, the city will move into tier 3 restrictions.[34]
  • 19 December: Speaking at a press conference, Johnson says that the country "cannot continue with Christmas as planned", and announces that London and South East England have been placed in newly-created tier 4 restrictions. Under these restrictions, households are not allowed to mix.[36][37]
  • 7 December: At the Department for Education, 50 members of staff are invited to have "some 'socially distanced' festive drinks" in the department's canteen on Thursday.[28]
  • 10 December: The drinks—hosted by the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson—are held in the canteen of the Department for Education. About 20 to 30 people attend the gathering, which includes wine and mince pies, and lasts for an hour.[15][26]
  • 14 December: A Christmas party—formally called a "Jingle and Mingle"—is held for the campaign staff of Shaun Bailey's candidacy for the 2021 London mayoral election. The gathering, at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, is attended by both Bailey and his campaign manager Ben Mallett.[32]
  • 15 December:
    • Ellwood attends a "Christmas party" of 27 people at the Cavalry and Guards Club in Piccadilly.[33]
    • A Christmas quiz is held at Downing Street. Most staff dial-in online from their homes, though some attend in person. Food and alcohol is provided, with one official, wary of "drunkenness", advising staff to leave by the back entrance.[15]
    • A Christmas gathering is held for staff at the Department for Transport, with food and alcohol being served.[35]
  • 17 December:
    • The Daily Mail reports Ellwood's attendance at the Christmas party two days earlier. In a statement, the MP responds that the event was a "business meeting" and "absolutely COVID-compliant".[33] Responding to the story in an interview with ITV News, the Home Secretary Priti Patel says that gathering "with a large number of people is a breach of the regulations".[30]
    • A Christmas party is held for Case's staff at the Cabinet Office. Twelve staff attend online, but five join in the office. The event lasts for 90 minutes; food and alcohol is made available.[15]
    • A leaving party is thrown for two Downing Street officials. Twenty people gather in the Pillared Room of 10 Downing Street from 6 p.m., with most leaving by 8:45 p.m. Johnson attends for 15 minutes and delivers a speech to thank both officials.[15]
    • A second leaving do is held for Kate Josephs—a director-general in the COVID taskforce who had responsibility for writing the lockdown rules—and another unnamed official. Another twenty people attend from 7 p.m., with beer and prosecco provided and background music played.[15]
  • 18 December: A Christmas party—formally named the "End of Year Meeting with Wine & Cheese"—takes place in the Downing Street Press Office. The event, which includes a Secret Santa and an awards ceremony, lasts for several hours, during which time a panic alarm button is accidentally triggered, causing a police officer and Downing Street's on-duty custodians to arrive.[15]
  • 19 December: While cleaning the Press Office following the party the previous night, a Downing Street cleaner notes that red wine has been been spilled "on one wall and on a number of boxes of photocopier paper".[15]
  • 22 December: In the Downing Street Press Briefing Room, Press Secretary Allegra Stratton, adviser Ed Oldfield and others hold a mock press conference to prepare Stratton for planned daily televised briefings. Over the course of the press conference, Oldfield asks Stratton if she recognises reports of a Christmas party held at Downing Street four days earlier. From the podium, Stratton laughingly responds that the party "was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced".[38]
  • 25 December: Nimco Ali, an adviser at the Home Office, spends Christmas with Johnson and his wife.[39]

2021[edit]

Month COVID-19 in the UK Parties
January
  • 4 January: In a televised address from Downing Street, Johnson announces that, from 6 January, England will enter a third national lockdown. Except for permitted exceptions, people are not allowed to leave their homes.[40]
  • 26 January: The UK becomes the first European nation to record over 100,000 deaths with COVID-19, according to the government's official figures.[42]
  • 14 January: A "virtual leaving presentation" is held from 6 p.m. in the Pillared Room in Downing Street for two private secretaries.[41] Around 15 people attend, with Johnson delivering a speech to mark their departures. The party continues until 11 p.m.[15]
March
  • 8 March: A new "roadmap" out of lockdown comes into effect. Restrictions on socialising with others are eased, with people now allowed to have socially-distanced one-on-one meetings outdoors.[43]
April
  • 16 April: Two leaving dos are held at Downing Street: one for James Slack, the Downing Street Director of Communications, and the other for one of Johnson's personal photographers. The party for Slack begins at 6:30 p.m., and is attended by 45 people in the Downing Street Press Office, while the second takes place in the basement. The two groups merge in the Downing Street garden, with drinking continuing until 4:20 a.m.[15][26]
  • 17 April: Downing Street staff notice that, following the party in the garden the previous night, a swing set belonging to Johnson's son Wilfred has been damaged.[46]
July
  • 19 July: On a day dubbed "Freedom Day" by some media outlets, almost all lockdown restrictions in England are lifted.[49]

The story breaks[edit]

2021[edit]

Side profile colour photograph of Nimco Ali speaking from a podium in April 2019.
Reports that Nimco Ali (pictured in 2019) had spent Christmas with the Johnsons in 2020 first appeared in Harper's Magazine.[50]
  • 18 October: An article in Harper's Magazine reports that Ali spent Christmas with the Johnsons at 10 Downing Street in 2020. A spokesperson for Johnson responds that "the prime minister and Mrs Johnson have followed coronavirus rules at all times".[50]
  • 30 November: The Daily Mirror reports on three of the gatherings that took place in Downing Street when London was under tier 3 restrictions in 2020: one of the leaving parties on 13 November, the leaving party for Watson on 27 November, and the Christmas party on 18 December. In response to the story, a spokesperson for Downing Street states that COVID rules were "followed at all times".[51]
  • 1 December:
    • Speaking to the Financial Times, an insider tells the paper that evening get-togethers "happened most Fridays" in Downing Street. Johnson's staff respond that they "don't recognise" this account, and that the rules were followed at "all stages".[52]
    • In response to a question at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) from Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer on whether there was a Christmas party in Downing Street, Johnson reiterates that "all guidance was followed completely".[53]
  • 3 December: Johnson is reported to the Metropolitan Police by Labour MPs Neil Coyle and Barry Gardiner, who ask them to investigate whether parties took place in Downing Street during lockdown restrictions.[54]
  • 4 December: The police respond to Coyle and Gardiner that they were "considering" the complaints, but that they do not normally investigate "retrospective breaches of the COVID-19 regulations".[55]
  • 5 December: Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab tells Andrew Marr that "of course it would be wrong" if a party had taken place, but that the reports are based on "unsubstantiated, anonymous claims".[56]
  • 6 December: At the Christmas party for the think tank Institute of Economic Affairs, the Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg jokes about scandal, sarcastically asking: "I see we're all here obeying regulations, aren't we?"[57]
Jacob Rees-Mogg's official 2017 photograph for Parliament
Footage of Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured in 2017) joking about the Partygate scandal was published on 7 December 2021.[57]
  • 7 December:
    • Footage of Rees-Mogg's remarks is published on the political blog Guido Fawkes.[57]
    • ITV News broadcast a 47-second clip of Stratton and Oldfield joking about the Christmas party on 18 December 2020 at the mock press conference four days later. Downing Street responds to the footage, stating: "There was no Christmas party. COVID rules have been followed at all times."[58]
  • 8 December:
    • Speaking at PMQs, Johnson says that he was sickened and furious to see the clip of Stratton, and insists that no party took place at Downing Street.[59] In response to a question from Labour MP Catherine West on whether there was a party on 13 November in Downing Streets, he answers that "the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times".[2]
    • Johnson confirms that an investigation headed by Case will examine claims of rule-breaking in Downing Street.[60]
    • Outside her home, Stratton tearfully resigns as a government adviser.[61]
  • 9 December:
    • The scope of Case's investigation, which will look into three parties in 2020, is defined: two parties in Downing Street on 27 November and 18 December, and the party on 10 December at the Department of Education.[62]
    • The Daily Mirror reports on Bailey's Christmas party on 14 December 2020, describing it as "raucous".[63]
  • 11 December: Reports emerge of the drinks party in HM Treasury on 25 November 2020.[64]
  • 12 December: The Sunday Mirror publishes a photograph of Johnson hosting the virtual Christmas quiz in Downing Street on 15 December 2020, and quotes a source saying: "Nobody was working that evening, it was purely a social event."[65]
  • 13 December: Johnson is asked about the Sunday Mirror's report, and responds by saying that he "certainly broke no rules".[66]
  • 14 December: The Daily Mirror publishes a group photo of 24 guests at Bailey's Christmas party.[67]
Head-and-shoulders colour photograph of Shaun Bailey in April 2019.
Shaun Bailey (pictured in 2019) resigned as chair of the Police and Crime Committee in the London Assembly on 15 December 2021.[68]
  • 15 December: Following the reports of the Christmas party, Bailey announces his resignation as chair of the Police and Crime Committee in the London Assembly.[68]
  • 16 December: A joint investigation by The Guardian and The Independent reports on the party in the Downing Street garden on 15 May 2020, which sources describe as having a "celebratory" feel. Johnson's spokesperson responds to the story, saying that the event was one of "a series of meetings".[69]
  • 17 December:
    • A separate joint investigation, led by The Independent and Politico, reports on the the Christmas party held in the Cabinet Office for Case's staff on 17 December 2020. The article quotes three Whitehall officials, who call the event a "piss-up". The Cabinet Office describe the officials' accounts as being "categorically untrue".[70]
    • Following these new allegations, Case withdraws from the investigation into lockdown-breaking parties. He is replaced by the civil servant Sue Gray.[71]
  • 19 December: The Guardian publishes a photo of the cheese and wine party on 15 May 2020, and questions Downing Street's claim that the event was a work meeting. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, describes the photo as "a slap in the face of the British public".[72]

2022[edit]

  • 10 January: ITV broadcast email about 20 May 2020 BYOB party.
  • 11 January: Bailey steps down as chair of the London Assembly police and crime committee
  • 14 January: Johnson apologises to the Queen by issuing a written apology to Buckingham Palace
  • 18 January: Johnson says that "nobody warned [him]" that the 20 May drinks party in the 10 Downing Street garden might break lockdown rules.
  • 25 January:
    • ITV News reveals details of 19 June PM birthday celebrations.
    • Having received evidence from Sue Gray's inquiry, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick confirms that Scotland Yard will begin an investigation into 12 of the 16 events being investigated.
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  • 31 January: Gray issues her initial findings into rule-breaking in 10 Downing Street and Whitehall."failures of leadership and judgment"
  • 22 February: ITV News reveals that DownSt staff have been asked by police to complete questionnaires that provide a “lawful exception” or “reasonable excuse” for the lockdown parties.
  • 29 March: Met Police issue first batch of fines.
  • 12 April: Johnson, Sunak and Carrie are issued fixed penalty notices and fined £50 for attending 19 June gathering.[73] Johnson is first serving PM to have been found to have broken the law.
  • 21 April: The HoC pass a motion to refer Johnson to its Privileges Committee to consider whether he deliberately misled Parliament. In Parliament, Tory MPs call on him to resign.
  • 19 May: The Met conclude their investigation. 10 Downing Street is revealed as most law-breaking address in UK during lockdown.
  • 23 May: Photo revealed of Johnson raising glass at 13 November 2020 leaving party.[1]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Refer to caption
Johnson announcing his resignation on 7 July 2022
  • 7 July: Johnson announces his resignation
  • 21 October: Johnson is warned that if he returns to office of PM, he will be "gone by Christmas".
Colour photograph of members the ITV News team posing onstage with their AIB award.
For their coverage of Partygate, ITV News won two awards at the 2022 AIBs.[74]
  • 11 November: At the 2022 AIBs, ITV News wins two awards in the "Continuing News Coverage" and "Politics and Business" categories for their reporting of Partygate.[74]

2023[edit]

  • 11 January: "this is the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now" quote revealed
  • 21 March: Johnson releases 52-page partygate defence dossier
  • 22 March: Johnson testifies before the Privileges Committee in a five-hour hearing
  • 23 May: Johnson is referred to police by Cabinet Office over more claims that he broke lockdown rules[75]
  • 9 June:
  • 15 June: Privileges Committee publish final 108-page report, and conclude that Johnson committed "repeated contempts of parliament". Had he not already resigned as an MP, the committee would have recommended that he be suspended from Parliament for 90 days.
  • 17 June: Daily Mirror releases video clip of Shaun Bailey Christmas party
  • 18 June: BBC reports on invitation for the "Jingle and Mingle" party.
  • 19 June: Bailey apologises for the video.
  • 4 July: Met Police announce that they will reopen the investigation into the Bailey party.
  • 13 October: Police issue 24 additional fixed penalty notices for the party.


https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/watch-partygate-video-threatens-to-derail-johnson-honours-list/

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Marshall, Chris (28 August 2022). "Party political: The scandal that brought down Boris Johnson". Holyrood. Edinburgh. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b Mitchell, Archie (14 June 2023). "The 12 words that sparked Boris Johnson's downfall". The Independent. London. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Coronavirus: Two cases confirmed in UK". London: BBC News. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Coronavirus: Woman in 70s becomes first virus fatality in UK". London: BBC News. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Coronavirus: Strict new curbs on life in UK announced by PM". London: BBC News. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b Siddique, Haroon (12 April 2020). "Coronavirus deaths in UK hospitals surpass 10,000". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
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