BRADFORD district MPs have condemned claims the Prime Minister’s aide organised a 'bring your own booze' gathering in the Downing Street Garden during the first lockdown.

Martin Reynolds, the Boris Johnson's principal private secretary, sent an email to more than 100 Downing Street employees asking them to 'bring your own booze' for an evening gathering, ITV reported.

Mr Reynolds said they should 'make the most of the lovely weather', despite England being under tough Covid-19 restrictions in May 2020.

The Prime Minister imposed England's first lockdown to combat Covid-19 in March 2020 and it was not until June 1 that groups of up to six people were allowed to meet outdoors.

The email from Mr Reynolds relates to an event said to have taken place on May 20 2020.

Allegations of that gathering, said to have been attended by 40 people, emerged last week when Dominic Cummings, a former senior aide to Mr Johnson, said he had warned at the time the 'socially distanced drinks' were likely to be against the rules and 'should not happen'.

The Sunday Times and ITV have alleged the Prime Minister attended the event with his wife, Carrie Johnson.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is in contact with the Whitehall department following political calls to investigate the allegations.

 

Bradford West MP Naz Shah says reports of the alleged party 'stinks' while people across Bradford and the country were adhering to the Covid guidelines and restrictions.

She said: "It just stinks.

"It's measuring the yardstick of morality.

"It is morally wrong that at a time when our country needed leadership, our Prime Minister was attending a party and people could not see their loved ones.

"This is not about party politics, it's about being in a position of power and what they were doing was so wrong.

I understand the anger and hurt this has caused

"What about our NHS and key workers on the frontline? People were staying away from their family homes to work.

"People made some serious, serious sacrifices. At funerals, people were not all allowed in and had to sit outside in their cars. People had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad."

Shipley MP Philip Davies also condemned reports of the alleged party.

He said: "It is clearly unacceptable for anyone in government to be flouting the laws that they had imposed on everyone else.

Those lockdown laws, which I was opposed to throughout, were hugely damaging for many families who couldn't see loved ones and even missed saying goodbye to relatives who passed away, and for many people who lost their livelihoods as a result

"For some of the people who imposed those damaging laws to have been ignoring them will be a bitter pill to swallow for those who faithfully followed them even at huge personal cost, and is impossible to justify and defend."

 Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore said: “The email from Martin Reynolds infuriates me.

I have no idea what these people were thinking

"As I have previously made clear, I am deeply angered by the thought of any illegal gatherings, parties or social events which took place at Downing Street whilst the rest of the country was in lockdown and following the rules.

"The whole country has sacrificed so much during the pandemic and many are quite rightly furious.

"Investigations into these events at Downing Street during lockdown are ongoing, but answers are needed quickly.

"If any event took place that was in breach of the rules, the strongest disciplinary action must be taken, and I will continue to follow any revelations on this closely.”

Batley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater said: "In May 2020 I was working alongside colleagues at the Jo Cox Foundation and volunteers across Batley and Spen to support people who were really struggling with the impact of the pandemic.

"People who were sticking to the rules, despite the huge impact on their families and their own well-being. People who couldn’t visit sick or dying relatives, or attend the funerals of those they had lost.

"People who would dearly loved to have been able to have a drink and a bite to eat with friends in the sunshine, but didn’t because they were being responsible and obeying the law.

"So I am sickened that Boris Johnson and his staff at Number 10 thought those same laws didn’t apply to them.

"It is an insult to people across the country."

Sue Gray, the senior civil servant investigating allegations of lockdown-breaking gatherings in Government, has already confirmed she is investigating the May 20 event as part of her inquiry, along with a separate May 15 2020 garden gathering, which was revealed by a leaked photo showing the Prime Minister and staff sat around a table with cheese and wine.