A BOTTLE of champagne signed by Boris Johnson was allegedly auctioned off “as a souvenir of partygate” after being donated by Conservative party chairman Oliver Dowden.
Dowden, a former culture secretary, reportedly donated the item to a charity event in Hertfordshire, where his constituency of Hertsmere sits.
Guardian journalist Jay Rayner shared an image purporting to show the champagne bottle’s description on Twitter on Friday.
Rayner wrote: “Perhaps you thought the Conservative party took partygate seriously.
“Last night [Thursday] a champagne bottle signed by @BorisJohnson was donated to a charity event in Hertfordshire by local MP and Tory party chairman @OliverDowden. Read the description.”
Perhaps you thought the Conservative party took partygate seriously. Last night a champagne bottle signed by @BorisJohnson was donated to a charity event in Hertfordshire by local MP and Tory party chairman @OliverDowden. Read the description. pic.twitter.com/FtjgvKcYKS
— Jay Rayner (@jayrayner1) May 13, 2022
The description in the image reads: “Bottle of champagne signed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“A bottle of champagne signed by Boris. Hugely valuable as a souvenir of partygate and the behaviour and morality of our dear leader!”
Hertfordshire Community Foundation, the charity which ran the event, has since released a statement.
It said: "This item was donated in good faith several months ago as part of a charity auction raising funds to support some of the county’s most vulnerable residents. The description was not drafted or seen by MP Oliver Dowden prior to the event.
"On behalf of the charity, we apologise for any offence caused."
A spokesperson for the Tory minister also said that the champagne had been "donated in good faith several months ago".
They added that Dowden "had no prior knowledge of the description and this is obviously not his view”.
Johnson oversaw a culture of law-breaking on Downing Street which has led to more than 100 fines being issued - including to the Prime Minister and Chancellor.
Despite becoming the first sitting Prime Minister to ever be punished for breaking the law while in office, Johnson has refused to step down.
The Conservative Party was approached.
