London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Boris Johnson's staff accused of more rule-breaking parties inside No 10

Boris Johnson's staff accused of more rule-breaking parties inside No 10

Downing Street staff have been accused of holding two leaving parties in No 10 on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.

The Telegraph reported the gatherings were made up of around 30 people drinking alcohol and dancing to music until the early hours.

Restrictions at the time banned indoor mixing between different households.

No 10 has not denied the events took place on 16 April 2021.

A spokeswoman confirmed Boris Johnson's former director of communications, James Slack, "gave a farewell speech" to thank colleagues ahead of taking up a new role as deputy editor of The Sun newspaper.

Mr Johnson was not at either gathering as he was spending the weekend at his country estate, Chequers.

The latest revelations come as he faces anger from his own party over attending a drinks gathering in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown.

Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said "the buck stops with the PM" over the "culture and behaviours" inside No 10.
According to the Telegraph, Mr Slack's leaving party coincided with another gathering in the No 10 basement for one of the PM's personal photographers.

The reported events were held at a time when the UK was in a period of national mourning, which ran from 9 April to 17 April, following Prince Philip's death.

The Telegraph said staff were sent to a nearby shop with a suitcase, that was brought back "filled with bottles of wine".

During the basement gathering, sources claimed there was a "party atmosphere", with a laptop placed on a photocopier with "music blaring out".

The two parties are then said to have joined together in the No 10 garden and continued past midnight.

At the time, England was under 'step two' restrictions which stipulated that people could not socialise indoors, except with those from their household or support bubble. People could socialise outdoors in groups of up to six people or two households.

Other restrictions at the time included pubs and restaurants only being allowed to serve customers outside.

A day after the alleged parties took place, the Queen was pictured sitting alone at Prince Philip's funeral due to Covid restrictions


A Downing Street spokeswoman said Mr Slack "gave a farewell speech to thank each team for the work they had done to support him, both those who had to be in the office for work and on a screen for those working from home".

But asked about the other party and whether drinking and dancing had taken place, she said No 10 had "nothing further to add".

Ms Rayner said: "The Queen sat alone in mourning like so many did at the time with personal trauma and sacrifice to keep to the rules in the national interest.

"I have no words for the culture and behaviours at No 10 and the buck stops with the PM."

The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, also reiterated calls for the prime minister to resign over the growing list of parties, tweeting: "The Queen sitting alone, mourning the loss of her husband, was the defining image of lockdown.

"Not because she is the Queen, but because she was just another person, mourning alone like too many others.

"Whilst she mourned, No 10 partied."

Fran Hall, from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: "If your neighbours had behaved like this, you'd have been disgusted. For the people running the country to do it and then lie about it shows a complete disdain for the general public."

Quit call made 'with heavy heart'


This latest report adds to the growing list of alleged parties said to have taken place in Downing Street and other government departments during the pandemic.

But Mr Johnson has faced particular criticism after it emerged he had attended one on 20 May 2020 during the first lockdown.

The prime minister apologised on Wednesday in the House of Commons, saying he had joined staff for 25 minutes to thank them for their hard work. But he said he had "believed implicitly that this was a work event".

On Thursday, backbencher Andrew Bridgen became the fifth Conservative MP to publicly say they had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson.

He told BBC Newsnight he had submitted the letter with a "heavy heart", believing there was no sign the revelations about parties in Downing Street during lockdown would end soon.

Mr Bridgen, who backed Mr Johnson in the 2019 Conservative leadership contest, said this was "preventing the government from functioning as normal and that's an untenable position".

A minimum of 54 Conservative MPs must send letters to the 1922 committee of backbench MPs in order to trigger a leadership challenge.

Chris Philp, minister for technology and the digital economy, said it was right to wait for the findings of senior civil servant's Sue Gray's investigation into reported parties at Downing Street and Whitehall.

He told Newsnight: "I think the public deserve to have a proper investigation with the full facts."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×