UK’s Boris Johnson hit with lockdown birthday party allegations as he fights for job
- Boris Johnson fighting to defend premiership as birthday claim adds to list of No 10 lockdown gatherings
- Downing Street responds to report about surprise party for Johnson’s 56th birthday in 2020, with up to 30 staff attending
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing further allegations of rule-breaking parties during the pandemic, after his office confirmed staff had gathered in Downing Street to celebrate his birthday during the first lockdown in 2020.
Up to 30 guests were present at the event in the Cabinet Room on June 19 that year, at a time when most indoor gatherings were banned, ITV News reported late Monday.
A group of staff had “gathered briefly” after a meeting “to wish the prime minister a happy birthday,” Johnson’s office said in its response. “He was there for less than 10 minutes.”
ITV also reported that family friends later gathered upstairs in the premier’s residence, though that part was denied by Johnson’s office. He hosted a small number of family members outside “in line with the rules,” it said.
The new allegations are likely to ramp up the anger and frustration among members of the ruling Conservative Party, many of whom have said they are waiting for the outcome of a wider government inquiry into the so-called “partygate” scandal before deciding if they still back the prime minister. Some Tory MPs have already called for the prime minister to resign.
Senior civil servant Sue Gray is finalising her report into claims of rule-breaking parties in Downing Street during the pandemic, when the country was forced by the government to limit socialising to slow the spread of the virus. She is expected to publish it this week, though the timing is not confirmed.