A JOKE was made at Boris Johnson’s expense during the Platinum Party at the Palace, in what became the second embarrassing moment of the jubilee celebrations for the Prime Minister.
Comedian Lee Mack brought up the partygate affair in Downing Street during the concert in front of Buckingham Palace to mark the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.
Speaking in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace, with the Prime Minister in attendance in the royal box, Mack said: “Finally we can say the words ‘party’ and ‘gate’ and it’s a positive.”
The joke drew cheers and the crowd laughed at Boris Johnson.
Mack’s partygate joke came only a day after Johnson was booed by a crowd gathered outside St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Prime Minister, following his arrival alongside his wife Carrie at a National Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen, was jeered by people gathered outside the church.
Last month, an investigation published by senior civil servant Sue Gray revealed the details of a host of Covid rule-breaching gatherings held in No 10 and Whitehall.
The inquiry found that excessive drinking had taken place on some occasions, with staff getting sick, altercations taking place and red wine being spilt up the walls.
The Prime Minister was found to have attended a number of leaving dos for aides, giving speeches and joining in the drinking of alcohol, despite him telling the public to avoid meeting loved ones in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
Johnson, along with his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, were fined by the police for attending the Prime Minister’s surprise birthday bash in Downing Street in June 2020 when coronavirus laws prohibited different households from mixing indoors.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries – who defended Johnson after the booing incident – and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer were all in the Prime Minister’s vicinity when Mack’s partygate jibe was made.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel were also spotted in the royal box during the concert.
