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Partygate[a] is a political scandal in the United Kingdom about gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when public health restrictions prohibited most gatherings. The scandal contributed to Boris Johnson's downfall as Prime Minister and his resignation as an MP.
While several lockdowns were in place, gatherings took place at 10 Downing Street, its garden and other government and Conservative Party buildings. Reports of these events later attracted media attention, public backlash and political controversy. In January 2022, twelve gatherings came under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, including at least three attended by Johnson, the prime minister. The police issued 126 fixed penalty notices to 83 individuals, including Johnson, his wife Carrie and Rishi Sunak (then Chancellor of the Exchequer), who all apologised and paid the penalties.
The first reporting was on 30 November 2021 by the Daily Mirror of 10 Downing Street staff gatherings during the 2020 Christmas season. Johnson said rules had been followed, and Downing Street denied that a party took place. A week later, video of a mock press conference in 10 Downing Street was broadcast in which joking comments about a party having taken place were made. Allegra Stratton featured in the video in her role as Downing Street Press Secretary. She resigned her subsequent government position after the video surfaced. Shaun Bailey resigned as chair of the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee after evidence emerged that he had attended a gathering, where it was alleged that Covid regulations had been broken on 14 December 2020 with Conservative Party staff. In January 2022, reports emerged of an event with drinks on 20 May 2020 in the garden of 10 Downing Street during the first national lockdown. Johnson said that he attended and apologised for doing so. Downing Street apologised to Queen Elizabeth II for two events on 16 April 2021, the day before Prince Philip's funeral, during a third lockdown across England. Reports followed of a gathering celebrating Johnson's birthday in June 2020.
After the mock press conference video leaked, on 8 December 2021, Johnson announced a Cabinet Office inquiry, eventually undertaken by civil servant Sue Gray. In January 2022, the Metropolitan Police opened its own investigation into potential breaches of COVID-19 regulations, which delayed Gray's report. An update on Gray's investigation was published on 31 January 2022. Gray's final report in May 2022 described multiple events, including excessive drinking and a lack of respect shown to cleaning and security staff. She concluded that senior political and civil service leadership "must bear responsibility for this culture".
Public disquiet over the events led to a decline in public support for Johnson, the government and the Conservatives, and contributed to the party's loss of the 2021 North Shropshire by-election and poor performance in the 2022 local elections. In early 2022, a number of opposition, and a few Conservative, politicians called for Johnson's resignation or a confidence vote. The scandal led to the resignation of five senior Downing Street staff in February, and that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice David Wolfson in April. On 21 April, MPs referred the allegations that Johnson misled Parliament over events to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee.
On 9 June 2023, Johnson resigned as an MP after having received the committee's draft report. The committee's final report, published six days later, concluded Johnson had deliberately and repeatedly misled Parliament and impugned and intimidated the committee, would have recommended a 90-day suspension had he not resigned, and recommended that Johnson not be given a courtesy access pass to Parliament otherwise given to former MPs. On 19 June 2023, MPs voted 354 to 7 to accept the results of the privileges committee report, which included Johnson having his privilege to access parliament removed.[1][2]
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- ^ Allegretti, Aubrey (19 June 2023). "Tories round on Boris Johnson as MPs vote to approve Partygate report". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Alexandra (20 June 2023). "Boris Johnson denied special access to parliament as MPs endorse report which said he lied". Sky News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.