IT IS interesting to note which UK newspapers splashed the torrid tale of the Number 10 Christmas Party on their front pages.
Boris Johnson has found himself under fire once again, after reports emerged that Downing Street staff had a cheese and wine-fuelled knees up on December 18 last year, at a time where the rest of the country were cut off from their loved ones in lockdown.
The fury has spread fast, and with even the Daily Mail turning on the Tories after the revelations. Could the video of the PM’s former spokesperson Allegra Stratton giggling as they thrashed out which would be the best lie to cover up for their actions, finally be the nail in the coffin for this government?
READ MORE: PMQs: Commons outrage as PM ducks lockdown Christmas party row
By the look of a few front pages, you would be forgiven for thinking it hadn’t happened at all.
The Mail screamed “A sick joke”, The Metro dubbed Downing Street staff as “No10 party clowns” and the Guardian led with Johnson being accused of lying after “No10 team filmed joking about party”.
Other papers, such as the Express and The Times, pictured Stratton now infamously leaning on the lectern laughing, but didn’t run it as their lead story.
MAIL: A sick joke #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/5sxAqPtUlJ
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 7, 2021
METRO: No10 party clowns #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Izb55ORAVS
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 7, 2021
Meanwhile, The Sun and The Telegraph didn’t run the story on their front pages at all.
THE SUN: Sorry, it’s the wrong kind of wind #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/nlKVgqoObR
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 7, 2021
TELEGRAPH: Plans for Christmas work from home order #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/KVKs70dN4E
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 7, 2021
They instead ran with a tale about energy firms blaming the wrong kind of wind during Storm Arwen on power cuts. The Telegraph led with incoming tougher Covid rules, which has already been dubbed a "dead cat", with accusations the Tories are using restrictions to distract from the row over the Christmas party.
This isn’t going away, not after the intervention of Ant and Dec, the story has cut through and the Westminster bubble has burst.
READ MORE: Scottish Conservative MPs silent on Downing Street Christmas Party scandal
Meanwhile, The Jouker understands that Scotland Secretary Alister Jack has cancelled his Christmas drinks with Scottish journalists in Edinburgh, postponing them to closer to the New Year. The Jouker wonder why that could be? An attempt at avoiding some hard questions, or has there been a dictat from the top - no more parties until the row is over?
Those poor Tory MPs, first they had to fight attempts to take their second jobs and extra income away, and now they probably won’t be having their Christmas parties either.
Well, it will be nice to see them finally suffer through what the rest of us have for the past two years, for once.
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