(Adds comment from Scottish National Party, political
background)
By Andrew MacAskill
LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson's staff were invited to a "bring your own booze" party
in the garden of his Downing Street residence during the first
nationwide coronavirus lockdown in 2020, according to a leaked
email seen by broadcaster ITV.
Johnson, who won a landslide victory in a 2019 election, has
faced a barrage of criticism over allegations that there were
parties in breach of COVID-19 rules in government offices,
including his own.
Around 40 staff gathered in the garden for the drinks party,
including Johnson and his wife Carrie, ITV said, even though at
the time social mixing between households was limited to two
people outdoors.
An email was sent by the Prime Minister's Principal Private
Secretary Martin Reynolds to over 100 employees in Downing
Street on May 20, 2020, ITV said. The leaked email asked them to
bring alcohol to the party and to "make the most of the lovely
weather".
"After what has been an incredibly busy period it would be
nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some
socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening,"
Reynolds said in the email. "Please join us from 6pm and bring
your own booze!"
Johnson' office declined to comment.
At the time, schools were shut to most pupils, and pubs and
restaurants were closed, with strict controls on social mixing.
Two people from different households were allowed to meet
outdoors but only if they maintained a distance of 2 metres.
'OUTRAGEOUS'
Johnson will be under pressure to explain his own role in
the gathering. His premiership has been badly tarnished by
controversies in recent months, leading to warnings from some of
his lawmakers that he could face a leadership challenge.
The opposition Labour Party accused Johnson of having "no
regard for the rules he puts in place for the rest of us". The
Scottish National Party called the email "utterly outrageous".
A senior government official, Sue Gray, is investigating
allegations that at least five parties were held in government
departments last year during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Johnson's former chief adviser Dominic Cummings claimed last
week that a drinks party had been held in the Downing Street
garden in May 2020 despite warnings by him that it was against
the rules.
When the prime minister was asked earlier on Monday if he
and Carrie Johnson had attended the event, he declined to
answer, saying: "All that, as you know, is the subject of a
proper investigation by Sue Gray."
The allegations of officials holding events in breach of the
government's own lockdown rules, including a Christmas party,
have dismayed voters who were told by the government to
carefully stick to social distancing rules.
Johnson, 57, has faced criticism in recent months over his
handling of a sleaze scandal, the awarding of lucrative COVID
contracts, the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat and a
claim he intervened to ensure pets were evacuated from Kabul
during the chaotic Western withdrawal in August.
Johnson's Conservatives have lost their lead in opinion
polls over the Labour Party and last month suffered an election
defeat in a historic stronghold, stepping up pressure from his
own lawmakers to reform his team of advisers.
Britain's official death toll from the pandemic rose above
150,000 on Saturday, the second highest in absolute terms in
Europe, behind only Russia's.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill;
Editing by Catherine Evans, Kevin Liffey and Grant McCool)
ITV (ITV)
