Boris Johnson approved a “bring your own booze” event in May 2020 despite knowing it “broke the rules”, Dominic Cummings has said.
The prime minister’s former adviser apparently urged Mr Johnson at the time to cancel the event. “The PM waved it aside,” Mr Cummings alleged.
Mr Cummings’ comments come as the partygate scandal continues to lower the government’s standing in the eyes of the public, with one recent poll suggesting that Labour has now extended its lead over the Tories to 13 points.
Opposition MP have accused the government of trying to distract the public from the issue by attacking the BBC and by saying the military could be put in charge of preventing small boats from crossing the Channel.
The latter plan was today lambasted by Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chair of the Commons defence committee, who said the military taking on the “migrant challenge” was a “massive distraction”.
Meanwhile, culture secretary Nadine Dorries told the Commons on Monday afternoon that the BBC licence fee would be frozen for two years, a policy which critics say amounts to “brazen vandalism”.
