Mr.Talha Posted December 10, 2021 Posted December 10, 2021 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-59601447 The PM's press chief addressed staff and gave out awards at a Downing Street party last Christmas that is now under investigation, it is understood. Jack Doyle, then deputy director of communications, gave a speech to 20-30 people at the gathering on 18 December. A source has told the BBC there were food, drinks and games at the event. Downing Street said: "There is an ongoing review, and we won't be commenting further while that is the case." This event is one of three government staff gatherings from last year now being investigated by the UK's top civil servant, Simon Case, for possible breaches of Covid rules. Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said news of Mr Doyle's attendance had "exposed" Mr Case's inquiry as a "sham". Meanwhile, Lord Geidt, the prime minister's standards adviser, is unhappy about the contents of an Electoral Commission report into the funding of refurbishments to the Downing Street flat but is not ready to resign over it, the BBC understands. Labour says the report shows the prime minister lied to Lord Geidt when he investigated the PM's conduct earlier this year, something denied by Downing Street. It has written to Lord Geidt, asking him to reinvestigate. The Conservative Party was fined £17,800 by the commission on Thursday for "failing to accurately report a donation" that paid for some of the work. The revelation of Mr Doyle's speech at the Downing Street gathering follows an arduous few days for the government, during which time it has been accused by Labour of not being honest over this and other events. ITV News, which first reported that Mr Doyle had been present at the 18 December party, said he had also handed out award certificates to staff. The event took place two days after London went into Tier 3 lockdown restrictions, meaning people were told not to mix indoors with anyone outside their household or support bubble. No 10 has refused to explain how the party complied with Covid restrictions in force at the time, despite a deepening row and days of questioning by reporters. On Wednesday, the prime minister told the Commons that he had been "repeatedly assured" that there had been no party and that no Covid rules had been broken on that date. The government's chief whip Mark Spencer told BBC Radio Nottingham that Mr Johnson "will not have lied" about any parties that took place on Downing Street last year. He added that the 18 December event had been a "meeting" rather than a social get-together, and that staff had discussed how to deal with coronavirus. Defending Mr Johnson's handling of the affair, Mr Spencer said 10 Downing Street was a "huge, huge building, literally with hundreds and hundreds of offices and rooms. No single person could account for what is happening in these buildings. They are huge buildings." Government adviser Allegra Stratton quit her post on Wednesday after an angry backlash over a video she appeared in from last December, in which she joked about a Christmas party. In the video, obtained by ITV News, the PM's then-press secretary took part in a mock press conference four days after the 18 December event, where she laughed with other staff about how to describe it. Before her resignation, Mr Johnson told MPs that he was "furious" about the clip and was launching an investigation into whether rules had been broken last Christmas. Labour has written to Lord Geidt, asking him to reinvestigate the funding of the refurbishments.
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