[imagesource:  Amer Ghazzal / Alamy]

Boris Johnson likes a good time.

There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you’re not breaking the rules your own government has set.

Oh, and if you’re caught out, don’t then stand up in the House of Commons and tell total and utter lies denying any wrongdoing.

On both fronts, BoJo has failed dismally and while Partygate, as it’s been dubbed, has been talked about for months the revelations of the last few days are particularly damaging.

The BBC reports:

Insiders who attended events at Downing Street during lockdown have told the BBC how staff crowded together and sat on each other’s laps and how party debris was left out overnight…

They describe arriving for work the morning after a get-together to find bottles lying around parts of the building, bins overflowing with rubbish and empties left on the table.

They also tell of events with dozens of staff crowded together, and parties going so late that, on occasion, some ended up staying in Downing Street all night.

There’s nothing wrong with having a party if it doesn’t affect your work.

But here’s the kicker – at the same time, social gatherings indoors were banned between people from different households with COVID-19 cases once again soaring.

People were not allowed to attend funerals of loved ones, and when insiders pointed out the hypocrisy of the Downing Street gatherings, they say they were mocked by fellow staff.

‘One rule for us, another rule for them’ is pretty much the BoJo doctrine at this point.

At the party on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral on 16 April 2021, they portray a “lively event… a general party with people dancing around”.

The gathering becoming so loud that security guards in the building told them to leave the building and go into the No 10 grounds.

“So everyone grabbed all the drinks, the food, everything, and went into the garden,” one source says. “We all sat around the tables drinking. People stayed the night there.”

A senior aide had written earlier in the evening, “Time to open the Covid secure bar.”

Meanwhile, at the funeral, the Queen sat alone while adhering strictly to UK COVID-19 regulations in place at the time.

These Downing Street gatherings were described as routine. One insider said they took place “every week” with the invitations known as ‘WTF’ – meaning ‘Wine-Time Friday’ as well as the other popular meaning (‘What the F*ck’).

Others describe regular midweek parties with WhatsApp groups set up to spread the news. Below from The Mirror:

One posted: “Wine Time Tuesday” with a thumbs up emoji… Downing Street staff then discuss going out to buy “reinforcement booze” with one saying: “If someone can help me carry it I’m happy to go”.

Another suggests asking No 10’s events team whether they would be willing to provide any alcohol and later shares: “We got one bottle”.

Senior Cabinet Office civil servant Sue Gray has been tasked with investigating Partygate, and her full report is expected to be released today.

However, the latest photos and insider accounts were not included in that investigation.

Johnson has said he will provide a statement to parliament as well as answer questions from MPs following its release, as well as hold a press conference.

The noble thing to do would be to step down, but there’s not a noble bone in that man’s body.

[sources:bbc&mirror]