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A former No 10 official fears the so-called “Abba Party” at the Downing Street flat will never be fully investigated. This is because I did not ask about the event when I attended the event.
A gathering purportedly hosted by Johnson’s then-fiancé Carrie on November 13, 2020 has been shrouded in mystery since details were revealed more than a year ago.
However, three investigations into Partygate have drawn a void as to exactly who participated and whether they violated Covid guidance or regulations.
Earlier this year, Members of Parliament on the Privileges Committee had asked for Downing Street entry logs on the night in question to keep track of the event’s guest list.
The Commission’s chairman, Harriet Harman, wrote to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, asking for clarification whether fines had been imposed for the assembly, but the only The penalty was for the removal of the No 10 Chief of Communications that same night. Lee Cain.
But Johnson, who was questioned before the committee on Wednesday for more than three hours, was not asked about the incident.
London Metropolitan Police investigated the incident but did not issue a fine. Meanwhile, Sue Gray, during an investigation into Partygate, dropped the investigation on the grounds that it was “not appropriate or proportionate” because the police were not issuing penalties.
Sources who were in Downing Street that evening said the music was so loud that Abba’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’ could be heard downstairs.
The choice of track is a clear reference to Mrs Johnson’s joy over Dominic Cummings, who clashed in the inner circle of Mr Kane and the Prime Minister, leaving the top ten.
About a dozen officials and special advisers were in the flat for the event, according to insiders, but Johnson denied in written evidence to the commission that it wasn’t a “party.”
A source who was number 10 at the time said, “I’m honestly confused. [it has not been looked at] Because it was the most egregious transgression.
“I really can’t solve it. If I had looked into the evidence, that would have been the main problem.”
his Substack blog of the week, Cummings also expressed dismay at the lack of a full investigation, writing: Classic Yes Minister.
According to Mr Johnson’s Evening Prime Minister’s Diary, on the night of November 13, 2020, from 6:48 pm to 7:17 pm, he spent 22 minutes at the time of Kane’s departure before working on the red box. shown.
Afterwards, the log shows that he went “flat”, where it is understood that he attended the gathering with his then-fiancée and special adviser.
In a January 2022 interim report, Mr Gray gave details of the No 10 flat party to the Metropolitan Police after identifying it among other gatherings as a possible violation of Covid regulations.
But when Scotland Yard did not fine anyone for the event, Mr Gray did not include the gathering among the criticisms in its final report last May.
Of the “meeting at the 10 Downing Street Flat” she wrote: their departure. Five special advisors attended.
“The prime minister joined them around 20:00. There was food and alcohol. The information collected in this collection is limited, as the process of obtaining evidence was only beginning when the investigation was announced.
“At this point, we have stopped the investigation due to the need to avoid bias in the police investigation. I have considered it and have concluded that it is neither appropriate nor appropriate to do so.”
In April 2022, sources close to Johnson said that then-Prime Minister Johnson was interviewing Henry Newman, one of Mrs Johnson’s special advisers and a close friend, for a job.
In written evidence to the commission released this week, Johnson said: [on 13 November, 2020]At the time, I was convinced that neither event was a “party” and based on my knowledge of the event, I honestly and reasonably believed that rules and guidance were followed at these events. rice field. ”