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The Telegraph can reveal new details of the Downing Street parties the night before Prince Philip’s funeral.

Texts we’ve seen indicate staff were still going at 1am (so 7hr drinking session). Photograph confirms staff gathered in the basement.https://t.co/NgAyU3AWQ5

— Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) January 21, 2022

Other claims:

:: Wine and spirits with mixers were served in disposable plastic cups

:: Music for those gathered in the Downing St basement lasted hours

:: Basement may have been picked to avoid suspicion, per an ex-adviser

— Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) January 21, 2022

A reminder of the wider context that night (16 April 2021)

- Country was in national mourning after the Duke’s passing. Socially distanced funeral held April 17.

- Covid rules stated: “You must not socialise indoors except with your household or support bubble.”

— Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) January 21, 2022

It is understood scores of photos were taken during that night.

In general hard evidence of events could complicate Downing Street’s defence - esp on whether they were work events.

Sue Gray + team have asked some Downing St officials to hand over phones, per a government source

— Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) January 21, 2022

I've been in some long work meetings but I can't remember one with wine and spirits, takeaway pizza, music and a garden slide to play on.
I imagine some folk couldn't wait for their turn....

It's all well and good Sue Gray asking Downing St officials to hand over phones, but she can't compel them to.

Couple that with the fact this report goes to Boris before being released and is only required to report the facts (and not findings) then it's little wonder many fear a whitewash.

T.R.O.Y. wrote:It's all well and good Sue Gray asking Downing St officials to hand over phones, but she can't compel them to.

Couple that with the fact this report goes to Boris before being released and is only required to report the facts (and not findings) then it's little wonder many fear a whitewash.

...or graywash.

About a dozen Tory MPs have spoken to the Chair of the Commons Standards Committee re attempts to blackmail them - and include allegations that Boris Johnson personally did this in some cases.

EXCLUSIVE: Christian Wakeford says Gavin Williamson is the MP who threatened to cancel a new school in his constituency if he voted against govt on free school meals

He's categorical: "It was Gavin Williamson" — then education secretary.https://t.co/3gkj9s9Geb

— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) January 22, 2022

Last week, @ShippersUnbound reported that Williamson is one of three MPs who "will be handed knighthoods in the next honours list to keep them quiet".

— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) January 22, 2022

Seems to be something of another new government 'story' breaking...

NEW: Mark Spencer, the chief whip, publicly identifies himself as the individual who allegedly told Nusrat Ghani she was sacked as a minister for being Muslim.

Moments later, he deleted the Tweets. pic.twitter.com/vc5r1ycIUh

— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) January 22, 2022

Chief whip Mark Spencer has allegedly lost so much authority his private nicknames for rebel MPs are becoming common knowledge

Anthony Mangnall, behind foreign aid rebellions, is “Anthony Wanknall”.

Tom Tugendhat, China hawk, is “Tom Tugentwat”https://t.co/3gkj9s9Geb

— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) January 22, 2022

The MP at the centre of the Tory Islamaphobia scandal claims she contacted Boris about her allegedly racist sacking and he told her (despite being leader of the party) he couldn't get involved.

You'd think it is an issue he'd want to resolve - and quickly.

He’s set up an investigation.

Whitesince63 wrote:He’s set up an investigation.

Who has he asked this time? His dad?

Boris Johnson had birthday bash during lockdown, ITV News understands

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-01-24/boris-johnson-had-birthday-bash-during-lockdown-itv-news-understands

They really do want to get rid of BoJo don’t they? Won’t work, it’s now working against them. Boris’ allies are now circling the wagons and unless Sue Grays report is devastating, he’ll survive. I think most people are now more concerned about Russia/Ukraine, energy costs, taxation and green issues and all the time we’re taking the governments attention away from these to discuss whether following a meeting, colleagues met Boris for ten minutes with a birthday cake. Gets all the more silly.

Whitesince63 wrote:They really do want to get rid of BoJo don’t they? Won’t work, it’s now working against them. Boris’ allies are now circling the wagons and unless Sue Grays report is devastating, he’ll survive. I think most people are now more concerned about Russia/Ukraine, energy costs, taxation and green issues and all the time we’re taking the governments attention away from these to discuss whether following a meeting, colleagues met Boris for ten minutes with a birthday cake. Gets all the more silly.

It's all very well Boris surviving WS63 (I still think he will) but what does it say about the Conservative party of today. Have they totally abandoned any kind of standards whatsoever. If anyone was at all unsure (I wasn't) about what kind of a despicable human being (let alone Prime Minister) Johnson was, his behaviour over the last few weeks has made it pretty obvious that the only thing that matters to Boris Johnson is Boris Johnson.
Have a word with your conscience and let me know how you can justify wanting to keep this lowlife as leader of your beloved Conservative party. Even if I was a dyed in the wool Tory I wouldn't be able to vote Conservative while this would be despot was party leader.

Whitesince63 wrote:They really do want to get rid of BoJo don’t they? Won’t work, it’s now working against them. Boris’ allies are now circling the wagons and unless Sue Grays report is devastating, he’ll survive. I think most people are now more concerned about Russia/Ukraine, energy costs, taxation and green issues and all the time we’re taking the governments attention away from these to discuss whether following a meeting, colleagues met Boris for ten minutes with a birthday cake. Gets all the more silly.

You are a spineless little git.

T.R.O.Y. wrote:

You are a spineless little git.

No need for that Troy. White believes what he believes - even if it does come across as the twisted hype peddled by pornographer Nazi Richard Desmond's Daily Express ...



- but he is entitled to those opinions and you shouldn't make it personal, even if you believe as I do, that the Tories have sold our great country down the river to benefit the few at the expense of the many.

Bit over the top, but fine I’ll retract ‘git’ - absolutely spineless though.

T.R.O.Y. wrote:Bit over the top, but fine I’ll retract ‘git’ - absolutely spineless though.

Ha,ha, ha, nice one Troy. I’m not personally offended so you don’t have to retract anything for me. I actually think spineless more refers to those who are easily swayed by the media but hey ho, whatever you think. I’m not of course in any way trying to defend what these cretins, including Boris, have done but I do think that there are much more important things at stake for our country than whether Boris ate Birthday cake with colleagues.

As a Tory, I’m more concerned with his performance on serious matters such as the Green agenda, triple lock, NI increases, the energy problem and immigration. Im also unhappy with the unnecessary, in my view, lockdowns last year which have devastated our economy, damaged our kids education and crippled the NHS over anything but Covid. For me the one thing he did get right was the vaccination programme. 

Not all of these can be undone such as the NHS and education but if he at least rolled back on the net zero plans and accepted the need to continue with fossil fuels until the renewable technology is up to it, scraps the NI rise and acts more firmly over N Ireland and immigration, I would be prepared to back him. There are many areas of life where I don’t like or respect an individual, but I can still respect their ability in other areas. BoJo is still for me the most competent person to lead the country if he just backtracks on the things I’ve mentioned. Of course I may be outnumbered by the “spineless gits” in the party!!

Fair answer Whites, I agree we do have more important things to worry about and this is a trivial distraction - we probably disagree on where the focus should be though.

I’ll take back spineless now 

You really think Boris was why the vaccination programme was a success? lets see he hires his mate Dido for track and trace and it was an absolute shambles, then he lets the NHS professionals run the vaccine and presto it works. 

You seem pretty sure WS63 Boris will ride yet another wave, but the Met is now going to investigate wich brings it to another level, this isn't Sue Gray passing it up the line to her boss, this is now a potential crime being investigated, if he broke the ministerial code and broke the law then he is toast, It's sod all to do with a birthday cake, and the best bit is the last people you would want in your corner is his own backbenchers. Karma springs to mind.

The Met now investigating having been referred by Sue Gray... doesn't look great.