A former Downing Street civil servant who worked during the Covid crisis has revealed the true scale of drunken debauchery under Boris Johnson, with No 10 parties so wild that staff passed out in the stairwell.
speaking exclusively to the independentThe whistleblower said the details in the Partygate report were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to scandalous drinking culture and flagrant rule-breaking during the pandemic.
They revealed that Johnson was “happy” to have his staff drink and oversaw an endemic culture of rule-breaking so widespread that it put the number 10 at odds with the rest of the country.
The new revelations from whistleblower number 10 add to the damning evidence in the privilege committee’s scathing report on Johnson, who was found to have deliberately and repeatedly lied to parliament about Partygate.
The source spoke of her embarrassment at being part of an orchestrated charade to pretend staff were following the rules while a dirty reality played out behind closed doors. It came as the informant revealed:
- Boris Johnson was aware of the regular drinking parties during lockdown
- The former PM oversaw a ‘toxic male culture’ in Downing Street
- No 10 staff were sick “all the time” but were told there was “no point” in wearing masks
- Staff traveling with Johnson and Priti Patel were told to wear masks while passing through train stations in case of cameras.
- ‘Panicked’ staff began shredding material and deleting images after initial Partygate stories
Whistleblower number 10 makes clear cultural non-compliance with Covid rules despite draconian restrictions placed on the rest of the country.
Social distancing and the use of masks were not enforced and regular parties, including birthday parties, “Wine Fridays”, continued during the lockdown.
The former official said Johnson was “happy that people were drinking,” even though he drank mostly water himself. “He wanted to be part of the party… The idea that he didn’t see anything is total nonsense, there’s no way he didn’t know what was going on.”
“There were so many parties,” the former official said. “Senior staff often stayed up all night, sleeping under desks. A colleague was so drunk he was found passed out on the stairs.”
Boris Johnson celebrates his 10th birthday in June 2020
(Average PA)
The former official said the “absolutely ridiculous” culture at number 10 meant it was “widely accepted that we were all breaking the rules”, adding: “When Sky News was live outside, we all had to pretend we were following the rules, It was was pure theatrics.”
A July 2020 train journey to and from North Yorkshire, during which Mr Johnson and then Home Secretary Priti Patel were photographed wearing masks, saw staff told to only bother with the masks when cameras, they claimed.
“Boris and Priti were on a northbound train and we were all crammed into a VIP section of a train. Every time we passed through a station they ordered all of us to put on our masks in case there were cameras on the platform.”
“Another particularly ridiculous moment was when Boris announced the closure. There he was on camera telling the nation to self-isolate, then as soon as they stopped filming he and five other people crowded around a small screen to watch himself, it was ridiculous. Days later he had Covid ”.
The whistleblower also revealed that there was a “panic to get rid of the evidence” when the first Partygate stories surfaced in late 2021. “People started shredding things and deleting images.”
“(Then No 10 communications director) Jack Doyle had given out a bunch of awards at these parties and people were hanging them on the walls, but people ended up tearing them apart because they were evidence that a meeting had happened.”
Boris Johnson and Priti Patel on a trip from North Yorkshire to London in May 2020
(Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing St)
The whistleblower said they remain “mad” at the culture of breaking the rules. “We were all sick, all the time, I had multiple chest infections and covid twice. I asked a senior colleague why we didn’t wear masks inside from the start, and she said, ‘It doesn’t make sense, I’ve seen the science.’
“The police were chasing people using drones to catch them walking with friends over coffee, people were separated at funerals, I saw pictures of people’s farewell messages from the hospital, all following the rules set in this building. It was embarrassing.”
Becky Kummer, a spokeswoman for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, who lost her 77-year-old father at the height of the pandemic, said the latest claims showed the crisis was treated as “a good excuse to get down on one knee”. . at number 10.
“Families like mine did everything they could to stick to the rules and protect others,” she said. the independent. “It is a total tragedy that Johnson was in charge when the pandemic struck and he should never be allowed to run for any public office again.”
The whistleblower said many number 10 employees enjoyed a “sudden surge of power” when Johnson arrived in June 2019, which worsened over time. “The staff became arrogant, untouchable and not afraid to exercise that sentiment.”
The former official also condemned “toxic male culture” and said that Johnson “respected and listened to men more than women.”
Boris Johnson near his home in Oxfordshire this week
(Reuters)
It comes as Conservative MPs were urged to ignore deselection threats from Nadine Dorries and back the privileges committee report in a decisive vote in the House of Commons on Monday. Number 10 refused to say if Rishi Sunak would turn out to vote.
Tory senior Damian Green, leader of the One Nation group, warned colleagues who are considering making it clear that abstaining “doesn’t really live up to the importance of the occasion.”
However, Mr Sunak can avoid embarrassment after Mr Johnson told his supporters not to oppose the report in the House of Commons and ignite the dispute.
Sir Jake Berry, a friend of Johnson’s, said it was an “absolute disgrace” that the privileges committee has warned MPs who criticized its work that it will produce a “special report”, accusing the panel of trying to “muzzle MPs”. .
Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson has been revealed as the new “erudite” Saturday columnist in the daily mailoffering a veiled warning to Mr Sunak that he “may have to cover politics from time to time”.
But the Advisory Committee on Trade Appointments (Acoba), the body that dictates what jobs former ministers can take on after office, said it was a “clear violation” that Johnson had sought approval just 30 minutes before announcing the Mail column in a video.
The former Tory leader is also said to be weighing a bold independent bid to become mayor of London for a second time after his dramatic fall from grace in the Tory party.
He financial times reported that Johnson is considering facing Sadiq Khan in May 2024. Guto Harri, who served as a key aide to Johnson in his last term on City Council, said the independent that would be a “great idea”.
the independent has reached out to Mr Johnson’s spokesman for comment on the new Partygate claims, as well as Ms Patel and Mr Doyle. No 10 declined to comment.