(Bloomberg) — Boris Johnson’s former top aide accused the prime minister’s office of hosting a drinks reception in the Downing Street garden in May 2020, at the height of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic when such events were banned.
In a blog post published Friday, Dominic Cummings, who served as Johnson’s chief adviser until leaving on acrimonious terms in November 2020, said he and a colleague raised concerns at the time that “this seemed to be against the rules and should not happen.”
“We were ignored,” he said, adding that the gathering on May 20 had been organized by a “senior Number 10 official” — but did not name the person. He said he hadn’t attended, but had been told that “this event definitely happened.”
Cummings’ latest claim will come as a headache for Johnson, who is already facing a probe by senior civil servant Sue Gray into a string of alleged parties held by his office and other government departments in 2020. The premier is eager to get back on the front foot this week after a tumultuous few months that saw his standing fall both with the general public and among his own Tory lawmakers.
Eyesight Test
To be sure, Cummings has an ax to grind after being forced from his post when tensions blew up over the way the prime minister’s inner circle operates. He’s frequently criticized the premier since then, likening Johnson to a shopping trolley that can’t be controlled.
Cummings also sparked huge public anger himself earlier in 2020 when it emerged he’d driven his family 250 miles to Durham, northeast England, when government rules required people to stay at home. He then infamously drove another 25 miles to the town of Barnard Castle to test his eyesight, an excuse that provoked mockery form the public, media and politicians.
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Gray is investigating a reported leaving event for an aide in Downing Street on Nov. 27, 2020, a confirmed gathering at the Department for Education on Dec. 10 of that year, and an alleged party in No. 10 on Dec. 18. She took over the probe after cabinet secretary Simon Case was forced to step down amid reports he was involved in a similar event.
It is unclear whether the investigation will also look at a photograph published by the Guardian newspaper last month, which showed a gathering in the Downing Street garden on May 15, 2020. Cummings, who is sitting opposite Johnson in the photo, denied this particular gathering was a party, despite there being wine on their table.
“No10 staff were ENCOURAGED to have meetings in the garden April-August for the obvious reason that we were in a pandemic with an airborne disease and being outside was safer!” he wrote.
Johnson’s office was contacted for comment but there was no immediate response.
(Updates with context on Cummings in fourth, fifth paragraphs.)
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