Katie Nelmes
After the Sue Gray report, many thought that the ‘Partygate’ scandal was over, but it is back in the spotlight in recent weeks. After former Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned as an MP, the first ever video of policy makers partying has emerged.
What does the ‘Partygate’ video show?
The infamous ‘Partygate’ video, released by The Mirror, was recorded on 14 December 2020 when the UK public faced strict lockdown restrictions. Attendees can be seen drinking, laughing, and dancing, all in front of signs emphasising the importance of social distancing.
“As long as we don’t stream that we’re like, bending the rules”
The person recording the video is asked if they are filming, to which they reply that it is strictly for party purposes and not an Instagram livestream. Many of the attendees can be seen dressed in Christmas-themed attire and holding alcoholic drinks.
Why has The Mirror ‘Partygate’ video caused outrage?
The party is one of many that took place amongst the top levels of government whilst the rest of the public were subjected to lockdown restrictions. The ‘Partygate’ video leaked by The Mirror suggests that attendees were aware that their gatherings were breaking rules at the time.
It has subsequently been revealed that 30 people were invited to the event with a ‘jingle and mingle’ Christmas-themed invite. Many are astounded to learn the extent of rule-breaking and question the timing of this footage being leaked. They question why it was not submitted to the Metropolitan Police or to Sue Gray at the time of their investigations.
“Many of the resignation honours nominations sparked controversy”
Furthermore, two men who attended this party were awarded honours by Boris Johnson as part of his PM honours list. Johnson proposed to award former London Mayor candidate Shaun Bailey with a life peerage in the House of Lords. Meanwhile his aide Ben Mallett was awarded an OBE. Many of the resignation honours nominations sparked controversy, but seeing Mallett and Bailey partying, and seemingly being rewarded for their unlawful actions with peerages, has upset many people.
What is the response from politicians?
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove apologised for the video which he described as “indefensible”. However, he stressed the importance of politicians refraining from pressuring the police to re-open the Partygate investigation.
“the “culture of brazen rule-breaking” in the government during lockdowns”
In contrast, Labour chair Annelise Dodds has asked for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to be honest about the “culture of brazen rule-breaking” in the government during lockdowns. Sunak received a fixed penalty notice for attending a different party during lockdown. Hence, Labour is keen to discover if the prime minister had more knowledge of other parties.
“the parties were happening in the very house where Rishi Sunak lived”
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK have expressed their shock at the video and have urged the police to investigate. Matt Fowler, the co-founder of the group, has also called for Mallett and Bailey to be stripped of their honours.
What will happen now?
The Metropolitan Police are currently considering whether there is sufficient evidence to launch another investigation into Partygate. However, it is not yet known whether an investigation will take place, or if any more fixed penalty notices will be issued.
More developments on the Partygate scandal and investigation occurred in Parliament in recent weeks. The Privilege’s Committee found that Boris Johnson had “misled the House” in numerous ways over his knowledge of parties and “breached the confidence” of the Committee’s investigation.
“the public will learn a lot as the inquiry progresses”
On Monday, the House of Commons voted in favour of the report’s findings. This means that if Johnson had not already resigned as an MP, he would have been banned from the Commons for 90 days. He will not receive a pass allowing him to visit Parliament, which all MPs usually receive upon stepping down.
Meanwhile, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry recently began public hearings where influential politicians have been questioned under oath about the pandemic. Although the inquiry is not set to conclude until 2026, the public will learn a lot as the inquiry progresses. This, alongside three upcoming by-elections, will cause unwanted stress in Rishi Sunak’s government.
Rishi Sunak is yet to comment on the video.
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Image courtesy of Photo by Eugene Zhyvchik on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Katie Nelmes
Katie is a final year Politics university student and an aspiring political journalist, currently working as a Twitter Editor for Empoword Journalism!