British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing renewed calls to resign after it emerged that a birthday party involving up to 30 people was held for him inside Downing Street during the first national lockdown, in an apparent breach of the COVID-19 restrictions in then in place.
The gathering is said to have been held on the afternoon of June 19, 2020, and is believed to have been organised by the Prime Minister’s wife, Carrie Symonds.
Lulu Lytle, an interior designer who was renovating Mr. Johnson’s flat in Downing Street at the time, and Symonds are believed to have presented the Prime Minister with a cake whilst attendees sang happy birthday for him, according to the report by UK broadcaster ITV News.
The party is said to have lasted for around half an hour. At the time, restrictions allowed for gatherings of only up to six people. Indoor gatherings were banned.
Downing Street said that staff gathered briefly after a meeting and Johnson attended for less than 10 minutes.
They denied a second allegation that he held a separate party that evening with family friends, saying he met a small number of family members outside.
“A group of staff working in No. 10 that day gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room after a meeting to wish the Prime Minister a happy birthday. He was there for less than 10 minutes,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s office.
Meanwhile, the leader of the British Labour party, Keir Starmer, has called for Johnson to resign once again following the latest allegation.
“This is yet more evidence that we’ve got a Prime Minister who believes that the rules that he made don’t apply to him. And so we’ve got a Prime Minister and a government that spend their whole time mopping up sleaze and deceit. Meanwhile, millions of people are struggling to pay their bills and we can’t afford to go on with this chaotic rudderless government. The Prime Minister is a national distraction and he’s gotta go,” Starmer said.
The new allegation is the latest in a string of parties reportedly held at Downing Street during the pandemic which senior civil servant Sue Gray is expected to publish a report on later this week.
