London – An official investigation into government staff parties is to focus on three events that took place last year.
Downing Street parties on November 27 and December 18, and at the education department on December 10 will be examined for COVID-19 rule breaches.
Paymaster General Michael Ellis said any potential criminality uncovered would be reported to the police.
Labour called for the prime minister to resign if he is found to have misled MPs about the parties.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Fleur Anderson questioned whether the investigation was “serious” and whether more parties needed to be included in it.
Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday that an inquiry would be carried out by top civil servant Simon Case, after a video from last year emerged of government staff joking about a party that took place on 18 December – a day on which more than 400 Covid deaths were reported.
Government spokeswoman Allegra Stratton resigned later on Wednesday over the video, obtained by ITV News, in which she appeared.
And Labour has called for Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg to apologise after joking at an event on Monday that those attending would not be “investigated by the police in a year’s time”.
The Metropolitan Police has ruled out an investigation for the time being into the 18 December Downing Street gathering, citing an “absence of evidence” of any criminal wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, Mr Johnson said he had been “repeatedly assured” that “there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken” on that date – at which time London was under Covid rules banning people from meeting indoors.
But he said he had asked Case to “establish all the facts” and that if rules had been broken those responsible would face disciplinary action.
The December 10 gathering took place during the same period of restrictions, while on November 27 England was in full lockdown. (BBC)
