Boris Johnson joked about a No 10 leaving do which was held during the Covid crisis as being “the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now”, it has been claimed.
The former prime minster made the remark at a “boozy” celebration in Downing Street in November 2020 while coronavirus restrictions were in place, according to ITV.
The broadcaster said that when it put the quote to Mr Johnson – forced out of No 10 by the Conservatives in the summer after the Partygate scandal – the former Tory leader “did not deny saying it”.
The claim about the comments made at the leaving party for ex-director of communications Lee Cain is part of a number of new allegations made in an ITV podcast, Partygate: The Inside Story.
It reports that a source said: “I was working late … I heard the prime minister speaking and that’s when I heard the quote: ‘This is the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now’ and everyone was laughing about it.”
The revelation is among several damning new allegations – including claims No 10 staff destroyed evidence and some were seen “getting it on” at a party on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
Mr Johnson was fined as part of a Metropolitan Police investigation into gatherings held in Downing Street while social distancing restrictions were in place.
However, he was fined for attending his own birthday party in the cabinet room in June 2020 rather than for the 13 November 2020 leaving do – which saw some fines issued to staff.
The party on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral is said to be even more racous than previously thought – with at least two couples said to have been “getting it on with each other” and “touching each other up”.
Two other members of staff were reportedly “all over each other” in a Downing Street kitchen area at the gathering.
ITV also reports that whistleblowers told the podcast that staff “corroborated their stories” before filling out police questionnaires about their potential involvement in rule-breaking gatherings.
One source told the podcast that key documents and evidence about parties were shredded prior to the Sue Gray Cabinet Office probe and eventual police investigation.
“There was a sense, and an implication, that we should start deleting evidence before there is an investigation. And a lot of people started shredding things. Any proof of the events started disappearing,” they said.
“[Awards from a Christmas party were] basically taken down, kept away, shredded, evidence destroyed. So there was an aspect of getting rid of evidence – just keeping yourself in the clear before an investigation would happen.”
The podcast also reports that only half of the parties that occurred were ever investigated by Sue Gray, the senior Cabinet Office official, or the Met.
Mr Johnson is still due to appear before MPs on the Commons Privileges Committee about whether he misled MPs about what he knew about Partygate. Inquiry hearings are expected to begin in February.
A source told ITV that the 13 November leaving do undermined Mr Johnson’s claim that he was unaware of partying at No 10 during Covid curbs.
“He was there seeing people sat on other people’s laps [in] close proximity, crowded, scrunched up in front of him. He saw that, he saw people with drinks … He’s not blind, he’s not stupid. He saw that and didn’t shut it down,” they said.
Asked whether Mr Johnson joked the leaving do being the most “unsocially distanced”, his spokesperson did not directly respond.
The spokesperson said: “During the Covid-19 pandemic Boris Johnson led our country through its most dangerous peacetime crisis in living memory. As prime minister during a 24/7 national emergency he worked constantly to ensure the government did everything possible in its power to save lives and protect livelihoods.”
They added that Mr Johnson “pays heartfelt tribute to the heroic frontline workers who battled the pandemic” and is “also incredibly grateful for the efforts of hardworking staff who were working in central government”.
Labour said the latest Partygate claims show why Mr Johnson was “totally unfit for office” – accusing him of lying the public about how he broke rules with “reckless abandon”.
“While people were unable to say goodbye to loved ones or mourn with their families, he was breaking his own rules. And we have more evidence today on the way in which he was doing so with reckless abandon, and lying to the British people about it,” a Labour spokesperson said.
Liberal Democrats’ said Rishi Sunak should give evidence on “everything he knows about rule-breaking in No10 – including reports that files were shredded”.
The party’s chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “These shocking revelations confirm Boris Johnson’s total disregard for the rules he asked us all to follow. After all their sacrifices the British people deserve the truth, not more lies and cover ups.”
Meanwhile, it emerged that Mr Johnson has been living in a property owned by the wife of a wealthy Tory donor in one of the most exclusive parts of London.
The Daily Mirror said the former prime minister has been residing at the property in Knightsbridge “around the corner from Harrods” owned by Lady Carole Bamford, the wife of JCB tycoon Lord Bamford.
In his entry in the Register of Members Interest, Mr Johnson has declared the use of accommodation provided by Lady Carole worth an estimated £10,000 a month for three months since the beginning of September.
A source close to Mr Johnson denied a claim by the paper that he was living rent free, and rejected the suggestion that he may have under-declared the value of the donation.
A spokesperson for the former prime minister said: “All of Boris Johnston’s interests including accommodation are properly registered and published in the Register of Members Interests.”
