Downing St parties night before Prince Philip's Funeral

[buddhasbelly]

The telegraph are reporting more parties... The night before Prince Philip's funeral.

• party spilled out into garden

-someone broke Wilf's swing in tthe garden -someone sent with a suitcase to buy booze from the co-op

When the telegraph of all papers are reporting it, he's surely done for now?

Apologies if another thread on this, couldn't see one

@Blossomtoes

I don’t think you understand the role of PM *@Florianus*.

In what way?

@Curiousmouse

No, it isnt about that, or anything that another party has done. It's about developing rules for a serious pandemic, remembering them, and following them yourself.

The discussion was about whether Johnson would have to resign for lying to parliament.

My point is that Tony Blair lied to parliament on what most people would regard as a much more serious point (because it took the UK into armed conflict) and he didn't resign.

He's not the subject of investigation and I have never supported him. You need to focus on who IS now in the wrong instead of trying to fling around blame to anyone else. And seriously, look at who you support and what morals you think matter.

Except that Andrew Rawnsley goes on about the High Court ruling that Covid contracts given to Tory mates down a “VIP lane” were unlawful when only this very morning the Court of Appeal has overturned that judgement - and Cummings is already crowing that it was his idea to set up the VIP lane (and some of Cummings' mates benefitted from it, of course).

No, it hasn't. The Court of Appeal case is a different challenge, relating to the decision to award a contract to Public First, which was run by friends of Cummings and Gove. It's not about the VIP lane. (And it's going to the Supreme Court).

@the80sweregreat

Rishi sunak has walked out of an interview with Sky ( I think ) concerning the PM now ! He looked rattled.

Sunak is desperate to avoid any guilt by association, hence running away to hide last week.

And Johnson was not "in charge" of the parties. They were organised by the No.10 Chief of Staff for the benefit of the civil service staff working there.

Of course he was in charge. That's what being PM involves.

This party broke the law. It really doesn't matter who organised it, the fact remains that it was Johnson's duty (and indeed the duty of everyone present) to make sure that law-breaking did not happen at no. 10. If he was in any doubt about his authority to stop the party, he had only to call in the police officers standing outside the front door. Instead, he and his wife joined in.

@Curiousmouse

He's not the subject of investigation and I have never supported him. You need to focus on who IS now in the wrong instead of trying to fling around blame to anyone else. And seriously, look at who you support and what morals you think matter.

I thinbk I have done that more than enough. The person to blame is the person who organised these events - Martin Reynolds. I have little doubt that he will lose his job, probably along with Dan Rosenfield and others, when Sue Gray's report is published.

Unless the culture of heavy drinking among the civil service at No.10 is tackled, it will simply continue. There is very little that the PM can do about it because he is not in charge of the service/

BashStreetKid
Of course he was in charge. That's what being PM involves.

Absolute balderdash. The PM's time is totally taken up by representing the UK on the world stage, including meetings of the G7 and G10, running cabinet, speaking in the house and representing his constituents.

It is ludicrous to suggest that he has time to run the civil service parties at No.10. That is the job of the Chief of Staff - the clue is in the name: Chief of staff.

If he was in any doubt about his authority to stop the party, he had only to call in the police officers standing outside the front door.

Why on earth would he do that? He was under the impression that it was a work event to thank the staff for their work.

You really need to wait for Sue Gray's report instead of leaping to wild conclusions.

Why on earth would he do that? He was under the impression that it was a work event to thank the staff for their work

So even once he attends a party, he can't tell the difference between that and a work meeting. Says a lot about his work ethic doesn't it. Sorry Florianus your increasingly desperate attempts to justify Johnson's actions just make him sound even worse.

Even Johnson isn't claiming he couldn't call a halt to the party - instead he's claiming he needed to be told that it was against the law.

Nobody has as much faith in Sue Gray's report (not even Sue Gray I suspect) as you do Florianus.

@Florianus

BashStreetKid Of course he was in charge. That's what being PM involves.

Absolute balderdash. The PM's time is totally taken up by representing the UK on the world stage, including meetings of the G7 and G10, running cabinet, speaking in the house and representing his constituents.

It is ludicrous to suggest that he has time to run the civil service parties at No.10. That is the job of the Chief of Staff - the clue is in the name: Chief of staff.

And yet he had time to spend 25 minutes visiting the party with his wife and friends. During that time, as he himself admits, he could and should have stopped it.

@Florianus

If he was in any doubt about his authority to stop the party, he had only to call in the police officers standing outside the front door.

Why on earth would he do that? He was under the impression that it was a work event to thank the staff for their work.

You really need to wait for Sue Gray's report instead of leaping to wild conclusions.

Because anyone with quarter of a brain would have known it was illegal. No-one seriously looks at 30-40 odd people on their lawn at 6 pm on a summer evening with their own booze and tables-full of snacks and thinks "Goodness, look at all my staff working". And that's before you get to the people who told him he should have stopped it happening. He has admitted that he should have known. Why are you so desperate to contradict him?

And why does he need Sue Gray to tell him what he knows already?

And Johnson was not "in charge" of the parties. They were organised by the No.10 Chief of Staff for the benefit of the civil service staff working there.

That illustrates perfectly that you don’t understand the role of PM. We seem to have a very junior Tory bot on duty today.

For the last time @florianus Martin Reynolds is NOT Chief of Staff at Number Ten.
Also pretty certain Cummings trashes the VIP lane for contracts in a recent blog.
Are you the poster formally known as Claig?

@countrygirl99

Why on earth would he do that? He was under the impression that it was a work event to thank the staff for their work

So even once he attends a party, he can't tell the difference between that and a work meeting. Says a lot about his work ethic doesn't it. Sorry Florianus your increasingly desperate attempts to justify Johnson's actions just make him sound even worse.

I have been to countless work meetings in which we have raised a glass to colleagues and sometimes customers. The whole reason why the Met won't prosecute is because it cannot be proved NOT to have been a work event.

Whether or not it was a work event isn't actually the correct legal test, though. That is not what the legislation said. It was whether it was reasonably necessary for work, I forget the exact wording but it was necessity not work event per se. So if the Met are basing their decision purely on whether it was a work event, that's concerning.

@Words

For the last time *@florianus* Martin Reynolds is NOT Chief of Staff at Number Ten. Also pretty certain Cummings trashes the VIP lane for contracts in a recent blog. Are you the poster formally known as Claig?

I didn't say Reynolds was Chief of Staff, I said he was the one who invited his colleague to drinks.

Why do you so wish to blame the wrong person? Are you a friend of Marrtin Reynolds?

If you succeed in blaming the wrong person, you will simply get another PM who, like all of his or her predecessors, has no authority for running the civil service, while at the same time the drinking culture of No.10 will not have been punished and will continue.

Is that what you want?

@VikingOnTheFridge

Whether or not it was a work event isn't actually the correct legal test, though. That is not what the legislation said. It was whether it was reasonably necessary for work, I forget the exact wording but it was necessity not work event per se. So if the Met are basing their decision purely on whether it was a work event, that's concerning.

You would be hard pushed to find an authority who would rule that an event to thank staff is not necessary for work.

@Blossomtoes

And Johnson was not "in charge" of the parties. They were organised by the No.10 Chief of Staff for the benefit of the civil service staff working there.

That illustrates perfectly that you don’t understand the role of PM. We seem to have a very junior Tory bot on duty today.

So you imagine the PM is in charge of the civil service. Jeez !!!

You would be hard pushed to find an authority who would rule that an event to thank staff is not necessary for work

There's no authority either way, as far as I know. It's a pretty new law and you're probably aware that there's a big backlog in the courts at the moment. Either way though, you evidently weren't clear about the relevant legal test before forming your view on the legality of the event.

So you imagine the PM is in charge of the civil service. Jeez !!!

No I don’t. But Johnson said himself he should have sent them all back inside. Jeez indeed.

This is unexpectedly fascinating, in an odd sort of way.

It really is a spectacular cage he's built for himself, with the 'nobody told me' line. He's either given the middle finger to those who were grieving and making sacrifices, or he's weak, easily lead and not even in control of his own office. 'My senior civil servant invited all these people, organised food and booze, wheeled me out there for exactly 25 minutes, but didn't tell me this was breaching my own regulations'. Fuck me how stupid does he think we all are ?