No 10 rule breaking gatherings during 2020.

[bramling]

That is just the point - there are others more culpable - but she is the scapegoat.

Exactly. A cynical prop. She gets plastered all over our screens as the sacrificial lamb, and Peppa Johnson can pretend to be furious.

 

[brad465]

That is just the point - there are others more culpable - but she is the scapegoat.

Sarah Vine (Gove's ex-wife of course) was rather scathing of the dismissal in the Mail the day after he left about how it's always a woman who carries the can.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Jack Doyle will be the next scapegoat. Offered to resign but Johnson didn’t accept it, so he stays on and will be thrown under the bus when the investigation reports. Of course, if Doyle had any morals he’d have walked regardless of what Johnson said. (But then again, if he had morals he’d probably never have got the job in the first place)

 

[brad465]

Dun Dun Dun:

Boris Johnson pictured hosting Number 10 Xmas quiz ‘in breach of Covid laws’

Boris Johnson faces more questions over a Downing Street Christmas quiz he hosted while London was under strict Tier 2 "no mixing" restrictions - as staff knocked back Tesco booze

www.mirror.co.uk

Boris Johnson was last night accused of personally breaking Covid laws by hosting a Christmas quiz in No10 last year.

The Prime Minister was pictured on screen, sitting underneath a portrait of Margaret Thatcher as he read out questions.

A source said many staff huddled by computers, conferring on questions and knocking back fizz, wine and beer from a local Tesco Metro.

In one office, the insider said, there were four teams, each made up of six people.

It was December 15 – three days before a gathering now being probed – and the PM was flanked by two members of his top team, although they were not drinking.

One was wearing a Santa hat and the other draped in tinsel.

On Dec 15 last year, 459 people died from coronavirus, while another 33,828 were infected.

London was then under Tier 2 regulations banning any social mixing between households – which Mr Johnson appeared to have breached by mixing with the aides.

Official guidance also stated: “You must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier.”

 

[DanNCL]

Dun Dun Dun:

Boris Johnson pictured hosting Number 10 Xmas quiz ‘in breach of Covid laws’

Boris Johnson faces more questions over a Downing Street Christmas quiz he hosted while London was under strict Tier 2 "no mixing" restrictions - as staff knocked back Tesco booze

www.mirror.co.uk

Surprise surprise, he lied to Parliament on Wednesday.

He needs to resign immediately.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Surprise surprise, he lied to Parliament on Wednesday.

He needs to resign immediately.

He's a compulsive liar that's his USP to the Tory evangelists but lets hope this is enough to get a stalking horse to put themselves forward and start a leadership challenge although be careful what we wish for with Liz Truss being promoted heavily by the likes of the Daily Fail.

 

[bspahh]

Dun Dun Dun:

Boris Johnson pictured hosting Number 10 Xmas quiz ‘in breach of Covid laws’

Boris Johnson faces more questions over a Downing Street Christmas quiz he hosted while London was under strict Tier 2 "no mixing" restrictions - as staff knocked back Tesco booze

www.mirror.co.uk

Is that a bin bag in the top left corner of the picture of Boris? Is it covering a security camera?

 

[Lampshade]

Is that a bin bag in the top left corner of the picture of Boris? Is it covering a security camera?

Certainly is.

 

[Gloster]

Certainly is.

Now why didn’t Matt Hancock think of that?

 

[brad465]

Now why didn’t Matt Hancock think of that?

Apologies if this is a joke I've misread, but my understanding from reports was the camera was planted in a smoke detector and there was no obvious way of knowing it was there...until the footage was leaked in The S*n.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Now why didn’t Matt Hancock think of that?

His hands were full at the time and his mind was elsewhere.

 

[Kite159]

Oh my God, people who see each other everyday for work being allowed to have something to say thanks at the year end for their hard work held at their place of work or having a little get together to say farewell to a member of staff who was leaving (as I saw reported

They should all be hung for killing granny! Working together everyday is one thing, but being in the same place for a social event, that is a super spreading event if you listen to some.

After-all its not like other places had similar 'unoffical' events last year where they worked, even if it was someone bringing in cans of drink/tray of sandwiches/cake to eat/drink in the office area. Chances are even other political parties did similar things in their party HQ when someone was leaving or to say thanks at the end of a tough year.

It seems the only people who care (Mirror etc) are those whom supported Corbyn 2 years ago and have an axe to bear ever since the general public rejected him, the sort where Johnson and Co can do nothing right.

 

[adc82140]

That's not the point. Other people who had similar parties on the same date are currently going through the courts. The rules should never have been made in the first place, and it seems they only applied to the little people.

 

[bramling]

Oh my God, people who see each other everyday for work being allowed to have something to say thanks at the year end for their hard work held at their place of work or having a little get together to say farewell to a member of staff who was leaving (as I saw reported

They should all be hung for killing granny! Working together everyday is one thing, but being in the same place for a social event, that is a super spreading event if you listen to some.

After-all its not like other places had similar 'unoffical' events last year where they worked, even if it was someone bringing in cans of drink/tray of sandwiches/cake to eat/drink in the office area. Chances are even other political parties did similar things in their party HQ when someone was leaving or to say thanks at the end of a tough year.

It seems the only people who care (Mirror etc) are those whom supported Corbyn 2 years ago and have an axe to bear ever since the general public rejected him, the sort where Johnson and Co can do nothing right.

The difficulty is that these self-same people have imposed draconian restrictions on others.

When you’re imposing restrictions which have, in practice, meant that relatives were unable to spend time with their dying loved ones, meant their loved one has died with no family present, or perhaps relatives were unable to see the body of a loved one post-death, this puts a completely different focus on things. There are many families up and down the country who had to make very hard decisions this time last year, there will be rightful anger and disgust to find the focus within No.10 was on Christmas parties.

Meanwhile, people have also been fined for gatherings. Doesn’t exactly sit well to find it was one rule for us, and another for them.

I think this, therefore, goes beyond the left-wing press having an axe to grind. The other issue is the extent to which the prime minister in particular has been honest when questioned about all this; it increasingly appears he hasn’t been.

I’m afraid this really *is* a big deal, for more than one reason.

 

[adc82140]

I'm waiting for Dominic Cummings to come good with the party videos. I think Cummings is a nasty bit of work, himself economical with the truth, but still I'm enjoying his mauling of BoJo

 

[Eyersey468]

Oh my God, people who see each other everyday for work being allowed to have something to say thanks at the year end for their hard work held at their place of work or having a little get together to say farewell to a member of staff who was leaving (as I saw reported

They should all be hung for killing granny! Working together everyday is one thing, but being in the same place for a social event, that is a super spreading event if you listen to some.

After-all its not like other places had similar 'unoffical' events last year where they worked, even if it was someone bringing in cans of drink/tray of sandwiches/cake to eat/drink in the office area. Chances are even other political parties did similar things in their party HQ when someone was leaving or to say thanks at the end of a tough year.

It seems the only people who care (Mirror etc) are those whom supported Corbyn 2 years ago and have an axe to bear ever since the general public rejected him, the sort where Johnson and Co can do nothing right.

The issue is when the government imposes draconian restrictions on our lives and then can't even follow the rules themselves, and it's not the first act of hypocrisy from them. It's the hypocrisy that people are so angry about. I for one am sick of one rule for them and another for us and I will never ever forgive them for it.

 

[DanNCL]

Oh my God, people who see each other everyday for work being allowed to have something to say thanks at the year end for their hard work held at their place of work or having a little get together to say farewell to a member of staff who was leaving (as I saw reported

They should all be hung for killing granny! Working together everyday is one thing, but being in the same place for a social event, that is a super spreading event if you listen to some.

After-all its not like other places had similar 'unoffical' events last year where they worked, even if it was someone bringing in cans of drink/tray of sandwiches/cake to eat/drink in the office area. Chances are even other political parties did similar things in their party HQ when someone was leaving or to say thanks at the end of a tough year.

It seems the only people who care (Mirror etc) are those whom supported Corbyn 2 years ago and have an axe to bear ever since the general public rejected him, the sort where Johnson and Co can do nothing right.

If it was near enough anyone else I’d agree with you. But these are the very people who came up with and imposed the rules on everyone else. It’s completely unacceptable for them force draconian restrictions on all of us when they weren’t prepared to adhere to them to the letter themselves.

 

[TheEdge]

I'm waiting for Dominic Cummings to come good with the party videos. I think Cummings is a nasty bit of work, himself economical with the truth, but still I'm enjoying his mauling of BoJo

At this point I'm just assuming all these leaks are Dominic Cummings Christmas gift to himself. I reckon he's been sat on this all these pictures and videos all year getting more and more excited to press send...

 

[kristiang85]

The fact is that the outrage over the parties is hiding the real issue - if we were in the midst of a deadly virus, why did they feel it was safe to do this? That's the question that needs to be asked, because measures that cripple an entire country are not justified in that context.

And the utter hipocrasy on top is the icing on the cake.

 

[SuspectUsual]

At this point I'm just assuming all these leaks are Dominic Cummings Christmas gift to himself. I reckon he's been sat on this all these pictures and videos all year getting more and more excited to press send...

It may or may not be Cummings, but regardless of that I’m stunned that nobody in Government seems to have considered this time bomb was ticking away. Or maybe they did, and we can add arrogance and disdain to the hypocrisy and lying

 

[deltic]

The culture in Ministers offices seem to be a throwback to a different age. I appreciate they often work very long hours but the message seems to be that it was/is common for them to drink when still working on a regular basis and not just at Christmas or leaving do - something that is banned in virtually all other workplaces.

 

[westv]

The issue is when the government imposes draconian restrictions on our lives and then can't even follow the rules themselves, and it's not the first act of hypocrisy from them. It's the hypocrisy that people are so angry about. I for one am sick of one rule for them and another for us and I will never ever forgive them for it.

were there any actual restrictions relating to workplaces?

 

[adc82140]

were there any actual restrictions relating to workplaces?

Yes. Any gatherings were to be for the purposes of work. A Christmas quiz, or boozy secret santa doesn't fit that.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

That's not the point. Other people who had similar parties on the same date are currently going through the courts. The rules should never have been made in the first place, and it seems they only applied to the little people.

It's far worse than that.

Section / Clause 73 ( I think it's that one anyway ) of the relevant Act specifically excludes Crown Property from ANY of the Coronavirus restrictions, so Boris and Co right at the start in March 2020 made sure they could never be touched for any breaches they themselves committed - provided it was on Crown Property. Which Downing Street is... That is not just hypocrisy of the highest order, it's pre-planned hypocrisy of the highest order.

 

[bspahh]

Is that a bin bag in the top left corner of the picture of Boris? Is it covering a security camera?

https://twitter.com/philiplickley/status/1469927843262087172 has a picture which looks like its a curtain in the top left corner.

 

[DanNCL]

It's far worse than that.

Section / Clause 73 ( I think it's that one anyway ) of the relevant Act specifically excludes Crown Property from ANY of the Coronavirus restrictions, so Boris and Co right at the start in March 2020 made sure they could never be touched for any breaches they themselves committed - provided it was on Crown Property. Which Downing Street is... That is not just hypocrisy of the highest order, it's pre-planned hypocrisy of the highest order.

Crown Property covers a lot of places in the UK, including many places where people have been fined for restrictions breaches. If Boris and Co manage to successfully argue this one that'll suddenly be a lot of people with a precedent set against which they can appeal their own fines.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Crown Property covers a lot of places in the UK, including many places where people have been fined for restrictions breaches. If Boris and Co manage to successfully argue this one that'll suddenly be a lot of people with a precedent set against which they can appeal their own fines.

That's a good point... Are there any ( Clear! As in like a simple zoomable outline of the UK with the Crown Property shaded in? ) maps showing the full extent of Crown Property?

 

[bspahh]

It's far worse than that.

Section / Clause 73 ( I think it's that one anyway ) of the relevant Act specifically excludes Crown Property from ANY of the Coronavirus restrictions, so Boris and Co right at the start in March 2020 made sure they could never be touched for any breaches they themselves committed - provided it was on Crown Property. Which Downing Street is... That is not just hypocrisy of the highest order, it's pre-planned hypocrisy of the highest order.

Crown Property covers a lot of places in the UK, including many places where people have been fined for restrictions breaches. If Boris and Co manage to successfully argue this one that'll suddenly be a lot of people with a precedent set against which they can appeal their own fines.

I'm not a lawyer, but this thread https://twitter.com/LevinsLaw/status/1469367877157466113 sounds plausible, and suggests that Section 73 refers to the building, but not on the activities of the people in the building.

It ends with this comment "this is my view, but the contrary view is by no means untenable. It is not an easy point."

I think the government would be very unwise politically to try to use this as a legal defense for their actions.

 

[Watershed]

Crown Property covers a lot of places in the UK, including many places where people have been fined for restrictions breaches. If Boris and Co manage to successfully argue this one that'll suddenly be a lot of people with a precedent set against which they can appeal their own fines.

The exemption only applies to premises, not to outdoor land, and also not to the actions of individuals. The authority in charge of the land can also agree with the local council to disapply the exemption; there is no central register of such agreements but I wouldn't be surprised if this had been done in some places.

 

[westv]

Yes. Any gatherings were to be for the purposes of work. A Christmas quiz, or boozy secret santa doesn't fit that.

What was the exact wording of the rules?