the staff of Downing Street, seat of the head of the British Government, held social gatherings in which wine and beer every friday during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the different restrictions in force at all times, as revealed by the ‘Daily Mirror’ newspaper this Saturday.
The events, described in the press as ‘wine fridays‘, were automatically scheduled in the agendas of fifty employees of the office of the prime minister, Boris Johnson, and sometimes the meetings were extended until midnight.
As on previous occasions, Downing Street has not denied the information. and it limits itself to asking to wait for the results of the internal investigation directed by senior official Sue Gray on the alleged illegal parties at the Executive headquarters.
‘Wine Fridays’, a long tradition at the prime minister’s headquarters, included the presence of Johnson himself, who sometimes stopped by the meeting place to chat with employees, according to the newspaper. An anonymous source told the media outlet that the head of government went to the meetings on the way to his official apartment, located in the same building, and often encouraged their celebration.
The ‘Daily Mirror’ publishes the image of a fridge full of alcoholic beverages who entered Downing Street through a back door on December 11, 2020, when in England it was forbidden for people not living together to have contact for social purposes indoors.
At these meetings, the staff gathered to play board games such as Pictionary while drinking wine and beer, according to the same source. The new revelation adds to endless information spread in the British press in recent weeks about alleged violations of social restrictions within the Executive, in which Johnson himself became personally involved.
Last Wednesday, the prime minister asked “apologies“for having participated in a party in May 2020 at Downing Street Gardens, although he argued that he believed it was a work meeting and that he was only present for 25 minutes.
The government has also presented his excuses to the royal family after it was revealed that the day before the funeral of the queen’s husband, Felipe, in full national mourning and in the midst of anticovid rules, two farewell celebrations were held at government offices.
The opposition has asked immediate resignation for these scandals, an appeal that has been joined by some of Johnson’s co-religionists, such as the leader of the Conservatives in Scotland, Douglas Ross.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
