Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 26, 2025

Boris Johnson pictured drinking at No 10 lockdown event

Boris Johnson pictured drinking at No 10 lockdown event

Boris Johnson has been pictured drinking at an event in Downing Street during lockdown.

ITV News has published four photos, saying they were taken on 13 November 2020 at a leaving do for the PM's director of communications, Lee Cain.

The Metropolitan Police have issued fines relating to No 10 gatherings on that date.

A No 10 spokeswoman said the Cabinet Office and the police had had access to information, including photographs.

The BBC has been told that at least one person who attended has been fined by the police. Mr Johnson himself was not.

After the leaked pictures were published, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said the PM had "demeaned his office" and "the British people deserve better".

She added: "Boris Johnson said repeatedly that he knew nothing about law-breaking - there's no doubt now, he lied. Boris Johnson made the rules, and then broke them."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the images show Mr Johnson "has taken the British people for fools" while the SNP's Ian Blackford called him a "charlatan and a liar"

Both called on Conservatives MPs to remove Mr Johnson from office.

The former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, said the prime minister's position was untenable, while veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale said the new images were "damning" and suggested Mr Johnson should quit.

Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross, who had previously urged Mr Johnson to quit over the party controversy, said: "The prime minister must outline why he believes this behaviour was acceptable."

A No 10 spokeswoman said that with the Met's investigation concluded, senior civil servant Sue Gray would be publishing her report into the gatherings "in the coming days, at which point the prime minister will address Parliament in full".

The pictures obtained by ITV News show Mr Johnson toasting colleagues, while standing by a table on which wine bottles, wine glasses and what appears to be a hand sanitiser container can be seen.

A second lockdown was in force in England at the time the picture was taken, and the rules prohibited indoor gatherings of two or more people. An exception was allowed if the gathering "was reasonably necessary" for work purposes.

ITV published four photos from the event, including this one showing the PM's red box, used for official papers


A raft of allegations about gatherings held in Downing Street and Whitehall throughout the pandemic led to a Metropolitan Police investigation into 12 events.

The inquiry concluded last week, with a total of 126 fixed penalty notices being issued to 83 individuals for parties held over eight separate dates.

Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak all received one fine each for attending a birthday party thrown in the PM's honour in June 2020.

But No 10 confirmed the PM was not facing any additional fines from the police.

The Liberal Democrats have written to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, questioning why the prime minister had not received more fines and asking them to examine the police's original investigation.

On 8 December 2020, Labour MP Catherine West asked Mr Johnson in the Commons if a party had taken place in Downing Street on 13 November - though it is not clear if she was referring to the event photographed.

He replied: "No - but I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times."

The prime minister faces a further inquiry by the Commons' Privileges Committee about whether he deliberately misled MPs when he previously told them no Covid rules had been broken in Downing Street.

Under government guidelines, ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament are expected to resign.

MPs are also awaiting the outcome of an investigation by Durham Police into a gathering in the city on 30 April 2021 attended by Labour leader Keir Starmer and his deputy Ms Rayner.

Sir Keir has said he will resign if he is fined for attending the event.


There have always been two big questions at the heart of 'Partygate': Did the prime minister himself break the law and has he been completely candid about what he knew about law-breaking in Downing Street?

Responding to these latest pictures, No 10 is pretty bullish.

It says that the police would have seen these photos and didn't fine him.

On the second point though, things may get a little trickier for Boris Johnson.

These pictures show him at an event for which somebody else was fined so can his insistence that he thought all the rules had been followed hold?

And there are two big audiences which really matter: MPs and the public.

There will be huge scrutiny of exactly what the prime minister said to Parliament about this and whether or not it was misleading.

The outcome of that could have a very swift impact on his prime ministerial future.

Beyond that though, pictures like these pose a potentially longer-term issue.

While there will be plenty of people who won't be bothered by them, the risk is that others will be and more may lose trust in Boris Johnson.


Angela Rayner on PM drinking images: "I think they are appalling."


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
×