Sickening footage of Tories drinking, dancing and laughing at Covid rules is being examined by the police after it was exposed by the Mirror.
Scotland Yard tonight announced it was reviewing the video of aides enjoying a raucous knees up in the Conservative HQ during lockdown.
Rishi Sunak today faced calls from families bereaved in the pandemic to strip gongs from two of the attendees who were recognised in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours.
Angry relatives accused Tory campaign staff filmed twirling each other around in the footage of “dancing on the graves of those who died”.
The row comes as MPs will today decide whether to approve a damning report that found Mr Johnson deliberately misled Parliament over Partygate.
But the Prime Minister is expected to stay away from the Commons despite his pledge to restore “integrity, professionalism and accountability” in government.
The bombshell video, published exclusively on the Mirror website, captures officials joking about the rule-bending bash in the basement of the Conservative Party’s headquarters.
This Christmas bash was held on December 14, 2020 when socialising indoors was banned in many parts of the country including London.
The footage shows one pair of dancing partygoers knocking over wine glasses as they spiral into a table laden with buffet food.
The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York can be heard blaring out in the background as the revellers joke about how the gathering is against the rules.
It is the first time footage has emerged of one of the rule-breaking parties in Westminster.
In a grovelling apology on live television, Cabinet minister Michael Gove today described the video as “terrible” and “unacceptable”.
“I want to apologise to everyone who, looking at that ... will think these people are flouting the rules designed to protect us all,” the Levelling Up Secretary said.
But he said two Tories who were at the gathering should not be stripped of the honours they were given by Mr Johnson.
The lockdown-busting event was attended by failed London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and Tory aide Ben Mallet - who will receive a peerage and an OBE respectively.
Asked whether the pair should be blocked from receiving honours, Mr Gove said: “No, I don’t think that… The decision to confer honours on people was one that was made by Boris Johnson as an outgoing prime minister. Outgoing prime ministers have that right.
“Whether or not they should is a matter of legitimate public debate, but they do at the moment.”
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “Gove’s apology is too little too late, it will bring cold comfort to the millions of people who stuck by the rules in the darkest days of the pandemic.
“If the Conservatives knew about this scandal why on earth did those Boris Johnson honours get the green light from Rishi Sunak? Those honours should all be removed, the Government can do that.”
The Metropolitan Police is facing calls to re-open its investigation into the gathering. It previously closed its probe without issuing any fines after concluding there was insufficient evidence.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “We are aware of the footage and are considering it.”
MPs will tomorrow debate the Privileges Committee report into Mr Johnson’s Partygate lies. The cross-party group has recommended that the former PM should be banned from holding a Commons pass usually given to former MPs.
Mr Gove today said he would sit on his hands and stay away if there is a vote. “I don’t agree with the conclusion,” he said.
