Staff drank for seven hours the night before Prince Phillip’s funeral
Downing Street staff partied until the early hours in a seven-hour drinking session the night before Prince Philip’s funeral, reports say.
On Friday, The Telegraph revealed that partygoers were served wine and mixers in disposable cups, spilled wine onto the office printer and took turns on the Prime Minister’s son’s slide, at a time when indoor socialising was banned.
The newspaper reported that it has seen text messages indicating attendees partied until 1am, having started at around 6pm, the night when Downing Street is alleged to have held two leaving events: one for Boris Johnson’s then-director of communications, James Slack, and another for a departing photographer.
It’s understood the prime minister was not in attendance at either event but had spent the day at his grace-and-favour home in the countryside.
The events are a focal point of civil servant Sue Gray’s investigation into lockdown breaches, allegedly held on 16 April 2021, the night before the Queen sat alone at the funeral of her husband of 73 years.
Johnson’s future hangs in the balance as Tory MPs await the publication of Gray’s inquiry.
On Thursday, ITV’s Robert Peston revealed an email had been sent to Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, warning the PM against hosting any form of party in Downing Street. Any knowledge of said “warning” had previously been denied.
Gray is currently investigating the e-mail and reports of at least 12 other gatherings. The report will establish a timeline and clear framework of what happened at each event.
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