Boris Johnson pictured at Christmas quiz last winter as Labour take poll lead
Boris Johnson apologises for No 10 staff joking about lockdown Christmas party
Boris Johnson may have broken the law with a Christmas quiz last year, Labour and the SNP have said, while a Tory minister defended the event by saying there was “no alcohol on the table” and “no rule against recognising Christmas with tinsel”.
Images have emerged in the Sunday Mirror of the prime minister during the Downing Street quiz, sitting next to members of staff wearing tinsel and a santa hat.
The newspaper reported this took place days before a No 10 gathering currently under investigation by Cabinet secretary Simon Case.
Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi defended the event on Sunday, saying it was a “virtual call” and no one was drinking.
Guidance at the time said members of the public should 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.”
Amid the row over Christmas parties, Labour has surged to its highest polling lead over the Conservatives in seven years.
Labour leading by nine points in poll
Labour has taken a nine-point lead over Conservatives, their largest since February 2014, according to a poll.
The Opinium survey put Sir Keir Starmer’s party on 41 per cent of the vote and the Tories on 32 per cent as Boris Johnson’s government is plagued by scandals.
Emily Atkinson has the full story:
Zoe Tidman12 December 2021 11:12
‘Labour can’t make the prime minister resign’ – party chair
Labour’s chair also stopped short of calling on Boris Johnson to resign on Times Radio.
“Ultimately, Labour can’t make the prime minister resign. That is in the gift of Conservative MPs,” she said.
Zoe Tidman12 December 2021 11:03
‘Zoom quiz’ defence?
A lawyer has questioned the government’s defence of the Christmas quiz being a “virtual quiz”:
Zoe Tidman12 December 2021 11:00
‘I don’t think there is a rule against recognising Christmas with tinsel or a hat’
Following his appearance on Sky News this morning, Nadhim Zahawi continued to defend images of a Christmas quiz involving Boris Johnson last year.
Pressed on how Tier 2 restrictions were “not broken”, the education secretary told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show: “These are people who work together. There is no drink here. I don’t think there is a rule against recognising Christmas with tinsel or a hat.”
He added: “Ten to 15 minutes to thank his team who were working all hours on a virtual screen in a pub quiz – I think people can make their own mind up on that.”
Additional reporting by PA
Zoe Tidman12 December 2021 10:56
Truss asked about Christmas quiz
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, was also asked about the Christmas quiz during a G7 conference in Liverpool.
“The cabinet secretary is conducting a thorough investigation of those events that took place,” she told reporters.
Zoe Tidman12 December 2021 10:43
SNP on Christmas quiz
The SNP’s Westminster leader has also said images of the No10 Christmas quiz “appears to break the law”.
Zoe Tidman12 December 2021 10:29
Here is actor…
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