A photograph which has been claimed to show a new lockdown-busting Downing Street party has been published after insiders described chaotic gatherings inside Number 10 during the coronavirus pandemic. The Mirror has obtained a picture showing a man standing at a table with nine bottles of wine and prosecco as well as doughnuts and miniature cakes.
The newspaper claims it was taken at a gathering to mark the final press briefing by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former official spokesman James Slack on November 17, 2020, during England’s second national coronavirus lockdown. It added that the event was allegedly attended by 30 to 40 staff and was not believed to have been investigated by Sue Gray or the Metropolitan Police.
The new image comes the day before Ms Gray’s full report into the Downing Street parties in Whitehall is expected to be published. A No 10 spokesperson said: “As part of their investigation the Cabinet Office team were able to speak to No 10 staff to establish the facts on what happened during this period. Both they and the Met Police have had access to all information relevant to their investigations, including photographs.
