DOMINIC Raab has said he does not know if Boris Johnson had a party in No 10 last December, but it would be a clear breach of Covid rules if there was one in the run-up to last Christmas.
Thus far, Johnson has not denied reports that members of his Downing Street team staged a party on December 18 when London was under Tier 3 restrictions, but he has insisted that no rules were broken.
Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, said he did not know the truth of the reports based on “unsubstantiated claims all on the basis of anonymous sources”, but if they turned out to be correct, then there would have been a breach.
In a less than impressive appearance on the BBC’s the Andrew Marr Show, he said: “Until there is something substantiated, until it is more than anonymous sources, I think we are chasing shadows.
“If there is a breach of the rules, there is a breach of the rules. But I don't know the full facts because I wasn't there.
“Of course, if there was a formal party held, of course that it something that is clearly contrary to the guidance.
“If anyone held a party that it is contrary to the rules, of course that is the wrong thing to do.
“If something unsubstantiated from anonymous sources actually materialised, then of course it would be wrong.”
READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: Last Christmas could be the whammy that finally takes down Johnson
The intervention from his deputy will pile pressure on Johnson to explain exactly what happened in Downing Street last year, something he has repeatedly refused to do.
A tabloid newspaper reported last week that two events took place in No 10 last year in the run-up to the festive season.
The first was said to have been a leaving do for a senior aide in November, when the country was in a second national lockdown, at which Johnson gave a speech.
The second was reportedly a staff party in December where multiple reports said party games were played, food and drink served, and the revelries went on past midnight.
The rules in place in London at the time explicitly banned work Christmas lunches and parties where it is “a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted”.
On Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said it was considering complaints submitted by two Labour MPs, even though it did not normally investigate retrospective breaches of the Covid regulations.
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