Private Eye, who broke the story this week, claimed that the Queen was actually also offered an exception to the lockdown rules for the solemn occasion after Philip’s death on April 9.
Reportedly, this was because the next stage of Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” out of the restrictions was set to happen in May – so the palace would only be a few weeks ahead of the general public.
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The government reportedly asked if she wanted to invite more than 30 mourners but the Queen declined, “on the grounds she wanted to set an example rather than be an exception to the rules”.
As the news outlet pointed out, Downing Street subsequently “threw two parties instead” while the rest of the country was in a period of national mourning.
Downing Street officials offered to waive restrictions on mourners for Prince Philip’s funeral. The Queen refused, on the grounds she wanted to set an example rather than be an exception to the rules. So they threw two parties instead. Full story in the brand new Private Eye.
Johnson’s deputy spokesperson also told reporters it was “deeply regrettable” that the parties occurred during a period of national mourning.
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Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, hit out at the prime minister over Partygate during Wednesday’s PMQs by comparing his behaviour to the monarch.
Starmer said: “Last year Her Majesty the Queen sat alone when she marked the passing of the man she’d been married to for 73 years, she followed the rules of the country that she leads.
“On the eve of that funeral, a suitcase was filled with booze and wheeled into Downing Street, a DJ played and staff partied late into the night.
“The prime minister has been forced to hand an apology to Her Majesty the Queen.
“Isn’t he ashamed that he didn’t hand in his resignation at the same time?”
Before Johnson could reply, the Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, interjected and said: “We normally would not, quite rightly, mention the Royal Family.
“We don’t get into discussions on the Royal Family.”
Erskine May, a famous publication which outlines parliamentary procedure, does state: “No question can be put which brings the name of the sovereign or the influence of the Crown directly before Parliament, or which casts reflections upon the sovereign or the Royal Family.”
MPs are allowed to pose questions on matters related to costs to the public or palaces.
Boris Johnson, fresh off the controversy of party gate, is scrapping Plan B measures in what looks like a bid to please those against Covid restrictions.
The prime minister has signalled the end of work from home guidance, Covid passes and mandatory face masks in public places in England.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Johnson said people were no longer advised to work from home when the Plan B list of rules are ditched on Thursday, January 26, nor will Covid passes be mandatory any longer.
The legal requirement for people with coronavirus to self-isolate will also be allowed to lapse when regulations expire on March 24 – and that date could be brought forward.
When it comes to face masks, the government will no longer make people wear them anywhere from next Thursday, and they will be scrapped in secondary school classrooms in England even sooner, from this Thursday, with school communal areas to follow.
The announcement is seen as the latest move in what has been dubbed Operation Red Meat – a policy splurge by No10 in a bid to win back the support of mutinous Tory MPs and the public after their May 20 party was revealed.
Professor Francois Balloux, a professor and director at UCL Genetics Institute, said that while Omicron might be receding in the UK, it doesn’t mean that we won’t face future waves that could debilitate the NHS.
“Healthcare remains under severe stress and the transition into a long-term, lower number of daily cases needs to be managed carefully,” he said.
“An overly fast return to pre-pandemic behaviour could lead to viral flares, which could cause considerable problems for the NHS, and may risk further delaying the return to ‘post-pandemic normal’.
Prof Balloux said that we should be aiming to avoid contact rates shooting up immediately, but rather increasing slowly towards their pre-pandemic level over the spring.
This could be achieveable through “entirely non-coercive measures, as the population will likely remain largely careful over the coming months”, he said, adding that precautions such as remote working should still be encouraged.
“Work from home, for those whose job permit it, is often considered to be an acceptable restriction, and it is highly effective at reducing viral transmission.”
Even if we leave pandemic status, an endemic is not without its dangers either, points out Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor from the University of Leeds.
“It is striking that the government are so adept at moving to reduce restrictions early when they have repeatedly failed to act in a timely fashion to prevent now five consecutive waves of SARS-CoV2 resulting in profound human and economic cost,” Dr Griffin said.
“There is a mistaken notion that the virus is somehow evolving to become less virulent, more transmissible, and this is being inaccurately lauded as endemicity by various parties.
“Endemic, sadly, does not mean benign, as sufferers of Malaria, TB, HIV, and Lassa fever might tell you. Variola (smallpox) and polio were endemic prior to eradication efforts.”
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor from Warwick Medical School, said: “Removing Plan B measures in the face of extremely high levels of infection is a risk. With over 94,000 cases reported yesterday, talk of an end to the pandemic is premature. Infections are raging across Europe and other parts of the world, reinforcing the need to take a cautious approach to easing restrictions.
Prof Young added: “Perhaps it would have been wiser to wait for another couple of weeks before removing the advice to work from home and the face coverings mandate.
“There’s no guarantee that infection levels will continue to fall and the NHS remains under extreme pressure. It’s important that we learn from previous experience.”
The number of alleged rule-breaking Whitehall parties has now reached 15 after the official who wrote the Covid rules admitted she failed to comply with them.
Kate Josephs, the former director of the government’s Covid taskforce, has apologised for holding an office drinks party when indoor socialising was banned.
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She took to Twitter to say she is “truly sorry” for gathering with colleagues for alcoholic drinks in her office in the Cabinet Office to mark her leaving the civil service on December 17 2020.
Josephs, who describes herself in her Twitter bio as a “proud public servant”, is now the chief executive of Sheffield City Council.
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The decision to hold a workplace gathering in Whitehall appeared to go against the official advice at the time.
According to The Telegraph, “dozens” of officials from the Cabinet Office’s Covid-19 taskforce attended the event, while the country was in lockdown.
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Including Thursday’s revelations about two events involving drinks and dancing the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral – and the apparent purchase of enough wine to fill a suitcase – the total number of gatherings being investigated is up to 15.
On that same day, the government’s official Twitter feed replied to a query asking if employers could hold Christmas parties at the end of the working day.
It said: “Hi Mick, although there are exemptions for work purposes, you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier.”
On Friday, Josephs tweeted a statement apologising for what happened.
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She said: “As people know I previously worked in the Cabinet Office Covid Taskforce where I was director general from July 2020 to December 18, 2020.
“I have been cooperating fully with the Cabinet Office investigations and I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the investigation.
“However as chief executive of Sheffield City Council I am responsible for leading the organisation and working with partners across the city and region to support our covid response and recovery.
“That is why I have decided to make a statement.
“On the evening of 17 December, I gathered with colleagues that were at work that day, with drinks, in our office in the Cabinet Office, to mark my leaving the Civil Service.
“I am truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result. Sheffield has suffered greatly during this pandemic, and I apologise unreservedly.
“The specific facts of this event will be considered in the context of the Cabinet Office investigation. I did not attend any events at 10 Downing St.
“I am grateful for the ongoing support of colleagues and partners and need now to ask that people allow the Cabinet Office to complete its investigation.
“I will not be able to respond to any further questions until the Cabinet Office investigation is complete.”
Sheffield City Council leader Terry Fox said the chief executive has discussed with him what happened and apologised face-to-face.
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He said: “To be honest I need to express my deep disappointment – people will rightly feel angry and let down. I get that completely.
“After everything that Sheffield has been through during the pandemic, this is news that we did not want to receive.
“Over the last year, Kate’s been an asset to our city and she is working tirelessly for Sheffield and it’s people.
“Our residents will understandably have questions and concerns, and we await the findings of the investigation.”
Leaked photos, emails and new allegations have been dripped to the media in recent weeks, each focused on a different party said to have taken place in Downing Street when the rest of the country was prohibited was under lockdown.
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There are around seven parties which allegedly took place in No.10 between May 2020 and April 2021, and five other parties which happened outside No.10.
Top civil servant Sue Gray is set to release her inquiry findings into these supposed celebrations in the coming weeks, which Downing Street claims it will accept.
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In the meantime, the government has been determinedly putting forward a whole range of reasons to explain away various parties.
Here’s a breakdown of the most eyebrow-raising excuses:
Referring to the leaving do for James Slack, the former director of communications for Johnson, No.10 said: “On this individual’s last day he gave a farewell speech, to thank each team for the work they had done, both those who had to be in the office and on a screen for those working from home.”
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Business Insider has pointed out that Slack also left the civil service a month before the leaving do even happened.
The Queen sitting alone in St. George’s Chapel during the funeral of Prince Philip, onSaturday April 17, 2021.
via Associated Press
Refusal to acknowledge it was a party
Downing Street have issued an apology to Buckingham Palace following the allegations that staff partied the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral when the country was in national mourning.
However, No.10 has refused to confirm or deny what was happening behind the Downing Street doors at that time.
Johnson’s deputy spokesman simply said: “It’s deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No10 has apologised to the Palace.”
Asked why it was an apology from Downing Street not Johnson, the spokesperson said: “Again, the prime minister said earlier that misjudgements have been made, and it’s right people apologise as the PM did earlier this week.”
Excuses for May 20, 2020
Truss claimed “he’s apologised” so everyone should “move on”
Foreign secretary Liz Truss told ITV News on Friday that people should look at Brexit and Covid recovery for Johnson’s true legacy.
Addressing partygate in general, she said: “The prime minister apologised on Wednesday. He was very clear that mistakes have been made…I think we now need to move on…”
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“I 100% support him to continue getting on with the job.”
In an interview shared with UK broadcasters, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says it is time to “move on” after Boris Johnson apologised for attending an event in the No 10 garden in May 2020. pic.twitter.com/NLexOL9Su2
Courtesy of Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons leader, this one popped up on Thursday, in defence of the party on May 20, 2020.
Rees Mogg claimed: “We must consider as this goes to an inquiry and we look into what happened with Covid, whether all those regulations were proportionate or whether it was too hard on people.”
Johnson didn’t “see” or “receive” the email
Even though the invitation to the drinks party on May 20, 2020, was sent out by Johnson’s principle private secretary Martin Reynolds – and the event itself was held in the prime minister’s back garden – Johnson allegedly did not see the email, which made it plain this was a social event.
On Wednesday, Downing Street claimed Johnson did not receive the email either, and did not instruct Reynolds to send the invitation, which explicitly states: “It would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No.10 garden this evening.”
Johnson defending himself in the Commons on Wednesday
He said: “When I went into that garden just after six on May 20, 2020, to thank groups of staff before going back into my office 25 minutes later to continue working, I believed implicitly that this was a working event.”
Garden is an “extension of the office”
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He also claimed: “No.10 is a big department with a garden as an extension of the office which has been in constant use because of the role of fresh air in stopping the virus.”
Technically “within the rules”
The prime minister also sidestepped any admission that this meeting between 30 and 40 Downing Street staff – and including booze – was outside of the rules.
He said: “I should have recognised that even if it could be said technically to fall within the guidance, there are millions and millions of people who simply would not see it that way, people who have suffered terribly, people who were forbidden from meeting loved ones at all inside or outside, and to them and to this House I offer my heartfelt apologies.”
Time to wait for Sue Gray’s conclusions
The prime minister and his senior ministers have stonewalled a great deal of criticism by deferring to Gray’s investigation.
On Wednesday, Johnson said: “All I ask is that Sue Gray be allowed to complete her inquiry into that day and several others so that the full facts can be established.”
This phrase has been echoed by all of his Tory allies, and adds to the pressure surrounding her inquiry.
Excuses for the Christmas party
There were no parties
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News about a potential Christmas party on December 18, 2020, broke last month, and was soon followed by a video of one of the prime minister’s then aides laughing about socialising during lockdown emerged.
Speaking on December 8, 2021, Johnson said he shared the anger of the public and claimed he was “furious” to see that clip.
He said: “I apologise unreservedly for the offence that it has caused up and down the country and I apologise for the impression that it gives.”
The prime minister then maintained he had been “repeatedly assured” that there was “no party”.
No rules were broken
During the same speech, Johnson maintained that “no Covid rules were broken” in No.10 throughout the pandemic.
Johnson also promised that “there will be disciplinary action for all those involved” once an inquiry into the alleged Christmas party had taken place.
Excuses for other 2020 parties
Raab believes suits mean it wasn’t a party
Justifying a photo which emerged showing Downing Street staff “having a drink after the formal business has been done” in No.10 on May 15, 2020, Raab claimed: “staff would have been under gruelling conditions”.
Downing Street has apologised to Buckingham Palace for hosting two staff leaving dos the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
No.10 is embroiled in further scandal this morning after it emerged that two leaving parties were held for staff on April 16, 2021, when the UK was under Covid restrictions which banned indoor mixing between households.
Speaking to reporters, the prime minister’s deputy spokesman said it was “deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No.10 has apologised to the palace”.
“You’ve heard from the PM this week, he’s recognised No.10 should be held to the highest standards, and taking responsibility for things we did not get right,” he said.
Asked why it was an apology from Downing Street rather than Boris Johnson himself, the spokesman replied: “Again, the prime minister said earlier that misjudgments have been made, and it’s right people apologise as the PM did earlier this week.
“It remains the case I can’t prejudge the inquiry, which you know is ongoing which is being led by Sue Gray, but we acknowledge the significant public anger.
“It was regrettable this took place a time of national mourning.”
The revelling carried on into the early hours of the morning with one attendee allegedly breaking a swing belonging to the prime minister’s son Wilfred.
The parties were to mark the departures of James Slack, Johnson’s former director of communications, and one of the PM’s personal photographers, the newspaper said. Slack apologised this morning for the “anger and hurt” caused by the party.
The spokesman confirmed that Johnson was neither invited to nor attended the events on April 16 because he was away at his country residence in Chequers.
Asked whether Johnson knew whether the parties were taking place, the spokesman would only say that the PM was not in No.10 on April 16, and that he was unable to comment while an investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray was ongoing.
The Met Police has confirmed the force will not investigate the spate of alleged rule-breaking Whitehall parties unless a Cabinet Office inquiry identifies evidence of potentially criminal behaviour.
On Thursday, Scotland Yard indicated it will wait to see if Sue Gray’s probe finds wrongdoing before launching any investigation into the parties across SW1.
Statement from the Met re: alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street and Department for Education. pic.twitter.com/ejDKawVCK6
A spokesman said: “The Metropolitan Police Service is aware of widespread reporting relating to alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street and Department for Education on various dates and has received correspondence in relation to this reporting.
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“Throughout the pandemic the Met has followed the national four Es approach of enforcing the Coronavirus Regulations.
“Where live ongoing breaches of the restrictions were identified, officers engaged with those present, explained the current restrictions, encouraged people to adhere to them, and only as a last resort moved to enforcement.
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“In line with the Met’s policy, officers do not normally investigate breaches of Coronavirus Regulations when they are reported long after they are said to have taken place. However, if significant evidence suggesting a breach of the regulations becomes available, officers may review and consider it.
“The Cabinet Office is conducting an inquiry into gatherings at Number 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education.
“The Met has ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office in relation to this inquiry. If the inquiry identifies evidence of behaviour that is potentially a criminal offence it will be passed to the Met for further consideration.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Cabinet ministers are circling the wagons around Boris Johnson as Tory MPs go on the record calling for his resignation over the lockdown party scandal.
Priti Patel issued a gushing plea to her colleagues to rally round and “back Boris” after he was accused of lying about parties in Downing Street during covid restrictions.
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“The prime minister has given his heartfelt apologies and taken responsibility for what has happened,” she told the Tory MPs’ WhatsApp group.
Citing Johnson’s majority in the commons and NHS reforms, she added: “Now is the time to put our shoulders to the wheel and back Boris to deliver on the people’s priories.”
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Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has even gone on the airwaves this afternoon, claiming that Johnson had given a “very clear account” of the events of May 20 2020.
It comes after Labour leader Keir Starmer tore into Johnson during prime minister’s questions, telling him to do the “decent thing and resign” and that the public knew he was “lying through his teeth”.
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Raab told the BBC Johnson had been “clear” he was acting in accordance with the rules “at the time”
The justice secretary said it was a “daft question” when asked whether he personally would run again for the Tory leadership.
“I’m fully supportive of this prime minister and I’m sure he will continue for many years to come.”
Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons today.
House of Commons – PA Images via Getty Images
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries said Johnson was “right to personally apologise” and an inquiry should now be allowed to do its work and establish “what happened”.
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Communities secretary Michael Gove chipped in: “Nadine is right.”
Meanwhile, Sajid Javid admitted he “completely” understood why people felt “let down”.
He too felt the PM had done the “right thing” by apologising and stressed we must let the investigation complete its work.
Johnson apologised in the commons today, but defended his actions by saying he believed the bash was a “work event” permitted under the rules.
The PM had been under intense pressure to divulge whether or not he attended the party in the No10 garden on May 20, 2020.
Johnson has ordered an inquiry by senior civil servant Sue Gray who is looking into multiple claims of social gatherings in government during covid restrictions.
Despite huge public and press interest, the PM, his ministers and official spokesman had previously refused to go into details while Gray’s investigation is ongoing.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has become the first Tory MP to call on Boris Johnson to quit as prime minister following his “partygate” apology.
Ross told Sky News: “Regrettably, I have to say his position is no longer tenable. I spoke to the prime minister this afternoon and I set out my reasons and I explained to him my position.”
Ross said he will write to the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs to express no confidence in Johnson’s leadership.
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Tory MPs William Wragg and Sir Roger Gale later joined Ross in suggesting Johnson should exit No.10.
Other Scottish Tories followed Ross’s lead and joined the chorus calling for a resignation.
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What Tory MPs are saying
Asked if he thought the PM should resign Douglas Ross told STV News: “I made that clear. There was one simple question to answer yesterday, indeed from Monday night when we saw this invitation which was to more than 100 people asking them to join others in the Downing Street garden and bring their own booze.
“If the prime minister was there, and he accepted today that he was then I felt he could not continue.
“What we also heard from the prime minister today was an apology and he said with hindsight he would have done things differently, which for me is an acceptance from the prime minister that it was wrong and therefore, I don’t want to be in this position, but I am in this position now, where I don’t think he can continue as leader of the Conservatives.”
He added: “I spoke to the prime minister this afternoon and I set down my reasons and I explained to him my position.”
Chairman of the public affairs and constitutional affairs committee and Tory MP for Hazel Grove, William Wragg, has said the prime minister’s position is “untenable”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme that: “A series of unforced errors are deeply damaging to the perception of the party.
“The prime minister’s position is untenable.”
Veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale said the PM “misled the House” about rule-breaking parties and should resign.
“I think the time has come for either the PM to go with dignity as his choice, or for the 1922 committee to intervene.”
The powerful backbench Tory 1922 Committee was holding a regular meeting on Wednesday, with the prime minister’s future hanging in the balance.
The Scottish Conservatives’ Covid recovery spokesman at Holyrood, Murdo Fraser, has joined the calls. After Ross stated that Johnson should resign, Fraser tweeted: “I fully support @Douglas4Moray in this call.
“I’m afraid the prime minister’s position is no longer tenable, he has lost public trust, and in the interests of the country and the Conservative Party he should step down.”
Scottish Conservative finance spokeswoman Liz Smith also tweeted: “I note that the media believe @Douglas4Moray Ross has made a brave call. He has also made the right call.”
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In the Commons, Johnson said that he attended the May 20 2020 gathering for around 25 minutes to “thank groups of staff” but “with hindsight I should have sent everyone back inside”.
The prime minister acknowledged public anger, saying: “I know the rage they feel with me and with the government I lead when they think in Downing Street itself the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules.”
He said an inquiry was examining the situation but accepted “there were things we simply did not get right and I must take responsibility”.
<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.” width=”720″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/three-tory-mps-call-on-boris-johnson-to-quit-2.jpg”>
Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor via PA Media
Downing Street refused to say whether his then fiancee Carrie Symonds had attended the gathering, if Johnson had noticed tables laden with food and drink or if he had brought a bottle of his own into the garden.
All such questions were a matter for senior official Sue Gray’s inquiry, the prime minister’s press secretary told reporters.
But she insisted Johnson had not been sent the invitation email from his principal private secretary Martin Reynolds encouraging colleagues to “bring your own booze” to the garden.
At just after 6pm on the day of the event, the time the invitation had specified for people to gather to “make the most of the lovely weather”, Johnson went into the garden to thank staff for their efforts and stayed for 25 minutes.
“I believed implicitly that this was a work event,” he said.
“With hindsight I should have sent everyone back inside.
“I should have found some other way to thank them.
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“I should have recognised that even if it could be said technically to fall within the guidance, there are millions and millions of people who simply would not see it that way, people who have suffered terribly, people who were forbidden for meeting loved ones at all inside or outside, and to them and to this House I offer my heartfelt apologies.”
Johnson’s press secretary insisted that he was not a liar and “he is not resigning”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also called on the prime minister to resign.
He added: “The party’s over, prime minister.
“The only question is will the British public kick him out, will his party kick him out, or will he do the decent thing and resign?”
The embattled prime minister also faced calls to quit from the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.
Hannah Brady, from the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said that, if Johnson does not step down, then his MPs have a “moral duty” to remove him.
Her father Shaun Brady, 55, died just a few days before the “bring your own booze” event and his death certificate was signed on the day it was held.
The Commons chamber was packed in anticipation of Johnson’s first public response to the leaked email about the May 20 2020 event although Chancellor Rishi Sunak, viewed as a potential successor as Tory leader, was notably absent on a visit to Devon.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Holt mocks the way the government has dodged any questions about the supposed drinks party which allegedly took place on May 20, 2020 in No.10′s garden, while the rest of the country was under a strict Covid lockdown.
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Using the original questions a Sky News reporter asked the prime minister about the party, Holt posed as an MP who “doesn’t know whether she attended” the drinks event in an online sketch.
Pretending to respond to a question about being at the party on May 20, 2020, Holt said: “Well all that, as you know, is subject to an investigation with Sue Gray so until that report is completed, your guess is as good as mine.
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“I don’t know if I attended the party.”
Holt continued: “It’s the age old question: If a tree falls in a forest, but no-one’s there to hear it, does it make a sound?
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″If there was a party in lockdown when we told everyone they couldn’t even attend funerals, but no-one knew about it, was there a party?
“And Sue Gray is tasked with answering this philosophical question.
“You know, it’s very hard because hypothetically, I could think, “Oh, back in May 2020, I was there with my Rose that I’d got on the way […] with my sausage roll, looking at 40-50 people thinking, ‘ah is this wrong?’
“Well I’m not going to know that until people find out about it and I’m being made to explain myself about it. Hypothetically.”
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She continued: ”Until the investigation with Sue Gray has been completed, I won’t know if I’ve been interviewed by Sue Gray…so….”
The video accumulated more than 4,000 likes on Twitter less than an hour after it was posted.
Holt was mocking Johnson’s bizarre interview with a Sky News reporter on the same topic earlier this week.
When asked if he and his wife Carrie attended a No.10 party organised by Martin Reynolds – the prime minister’s principle private secretary – on May 20, 2020, Johnson smiled.
He said it was all “subject to a proper investigation by Sue Gray”.
When pressed again, he started laughing a little and repeated his response.
It’s not only Holt who has mocked this response – especially as both housing secretary Michael Gove and health minister Ed Argar gave the same reply when asked about the same allegations.
you ask how my Dry January is going, I think I’ve been clear that with Sue Gray’s investigation ongoing I am simply going to have to repeat myself and say I can’t possibly comment until the facts have been established
They may only have just finished counting their by-election victory in North Shropshire, but the Liberal Democrats have already set their sights on their next Tory “Blue Wall” target seat: Windsor.
The Lib Dems began campaigning in the seat with their new candidate, Julian Tisi, this weekend amid rumblings that another by-election could be on the cards pending the outcome of bankruptcy proceedings against sitting Tory MP Adam Afriyie.
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Afriyie, the MP for Windsor since 2005, is being pursued by HMRC over unpaid taxes following the collapse of his IT firm in 2007, the Guardian reported in November.
Under parliamentary rules, a sitting MP who is declared bankrupt can be forced to stand aside if a bankruptcy restrictions order is made against them — potentially triggering a by-election.
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Afiyie’s spokesperson told the newspaper that negotiations were ongoing and that his advisers were working towards an agreement. Afriyie said: “I will of course pay any tax that is due.”
At the last general election, he increased the Lib Dem vote share by more than 11 per cent. The party also picked up eight council seats in Windsor and Maidenhead at last May’s local elections, which saw the tories lose 15 seats.
Opposition to Conservative planning reforms pushed by then housing secretary Robert Jenrick were largely credited with the Chesham and Amersham win, while in North Shropshire the drip feed of party scandals coming from Number 10 and the resignation of former MP Owen Paterson over paid lobbying loomed large.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey told HuffPost UK that the Conservatives were “taking Windsor for granted”.
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“As we saw last month in North Shropshire, people have had enough of Boris Johnson and his grossly incompetent government.
“The endless drumbeat of sleaze and scandal coming out from Downing Street is going down a stink in the Tory’s southern Blue Wall.
“Windsor is a winnable Blue Wall seat and it will clearly be a two horse race between a committed local Liberal Democrat team, and an out of touch Conservative party led by Boris Johnson.”
Meanwhile, Tisi said there was a “real sense of anger and frustration in Windsor at how the Conservatives have run the council”.
“The Conservative-led local councils have shown complete disregard for the views of local people and endlessly bulldozer through unpopular decisions.
“The Liberal Democrats are fighting for a fair deal for local people, including battling to save green spaces from unwanted development including the Windsor riverfront and Jealott’s Hill.”
A Conservative party spokesperson said: “The Conservatives are focused on delivering for people up and down the country as we build back better from the pandemic.”
HuffPost UK approached Afriyie for comment but did not receive a response.
