Covid-19 rules: Tories 'holding electorate in contempt' over gatherings

Treasury staff had office drinks to celebrate Rishi Sunak’s spending review while strict restrictions were in place in England in November last year, it was reported. Around two dozen civil servants were said to have been present at the gathering.

Meanwhile, last night the Sunday Mirror revealed that during the pandemic DWP Minister Therese Coffey’s staff would often drink alcohol in her Whitehall office.

Takeaway food was ordered and drinking would go on late into the night, according to the report.

A DWP insider told the paper: “There is a constant flow of booze in the office.” A spokesperson for the department insisted all government guidance had been followed.

READ MORE: 'Omicron' Covid-19 outbreak fears over Take That tribute band's hotel gig

The details of the event follow reports of a Christmas party held at Downing Street during lockdown which sparked outrage from the public, especially those who were separated from loved ones dying of Covid at the time.

Boris Johnson has come under increasing pressure after an initial denial that any party had taken place – with a video later emerging of his former press secretary Allegra Stratton laughing and joking with colleagues about the “cheese and wine” event.

SNP MP Pete Wishart said the latest revelation about the Treasury office drinks compounds “how this corrupt UK Government holds their electorate in contempt”.

Pete Wishart

He said: “While the First Minister was steering Scotland through the pandemic, Downing Street wasn’t just asleep at the wheel – they were occupying an alternative universe where the rules didn’t apply.

“Their reckless behaviour does nothing to protect the trust between politicians and the public – but far more importantly, they now undermine any vital public health advice that is sussed because of their cavalier approach to the rules last year.

“The Tories have no intention of holding themselves to the same standards as the rest of us.

“Once the pandemic is over, it will be for the people of Scotland to consign Tory control from Westminster to the dustbin of history.”

READ MORE: Michael Gove's words on Boris Johnson come back to haunt him

According to the reports, Chancellor Rishi Sunak was not at the Treasury drinks event and was not aware of it at the time.

A Treasury spokesman said: “A number of HMT staff came into the office to work on the Spending Review 2020. We have been made aware that a small number of staff had impromptu drinks around their desks after the event.

“The Treasury did not organise an in-person departmental party last Christmas.”

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case is investigating multiple allegedly rule-breaking events in Whitehall and Downing Street in the run-up to Christmas last year.

Dominic Cummings

Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has also said there are “lots” of photos of parties in No 10 that will “inevitably get out”.

Catherine Haddon, senior fellow at the Institute for Government, said the issue was no longer just about what breaches may have happened, but how the Prime Minister chose to deal with the allegations.

She said: “The bigger question in a sense is not just whether or not these parties occurred, but also who knew about them – both the Prime Minister and other senior staff – and in particular who knew what in the last week or so since the story erupted and why they gave the line they did about guidance being followed.

“There would have to be a very good excuse as to why the situation allowed for those denials – and if it turns out that more was known about them it does pose big questions about whether or not the Prime Minister has been misleading Parliament on this. That is very, very damaging.”

Catherine Haddon

She added: “I don’t think investigations are just about whether parties occurred, they are also about the government’s handling of them in the past week.”

Haddon said if the investigation widened to look at Johnson’s role, then it should be overseen by Lord Geidt as the independent adviser on the ministerial code. She said the situation showed the need for a fully independent adviser who can properly investigate the Government on ethics and standards, as such probes can currently only be done with the Prime Minister’s say-so.

She added: “It is very tricky as we are talking about the most powerful positions within government, people who have been democratically elected.

“But as we are seeing you can’t have ministers marking their own homework – you do need someone who is able to investigate when there are calls of wrongdoing. It needs to be a different role to the current one.”

Today marks the second anniversary of Johnson’s General Election victory in 2019, but he faces two tests this week which could add to a sense of looming crisis for the Prime Minister.

Tuesday could bring the largest rebellion of his premiership, with more than 60 Conservative MPs said to be against the imposition of extra coronavirus measures.

Johnson announced last week he would be triggering his winter Plan B protocols for England in a bid to buy time in the fight against the Omicron variant of the virus. Tories have reacted with dismay to the proposals, with backbenchers pledging to vote down plans for vaccine passports to be made mandatory for large venues.

The impact of recent Tory scandals will also be tested on Thursday, when the North Shropshire by-election takes place to replace Owen Paterson, who quit as MP after he broke parliamentary rules.