Bucks MP says he believes Boris on Downing Street party

The MP for Buckingham, Greg Smith, has told constituents he ‘takes the Prime Minister at his word’ regarding the Number 10 Christmas party controversy currently engulfing the Government.

Boris Johnson stands accused of hosting a party in 10 Downing Street on 18^th December last year while such events were illegal under the Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time.

The MP’s comments come following a passionately worded letter from the former Mayor of Buckingham, councillor Jon Harvey, to Mr Smith on Tuesday.

Mr Harvey wrote: “Please can you give me your personal assurance that no such party or party-like social events occurred at Number 10 Downing Street during the Christmas period.”

He continued: “I don’t expect you to have been there(?) but you can find out. On my behalf and that of hundreds of your constituents, please do so. Thank you.”

The Conservative party MP, who was elected to Parliament for the first time in December 2019, responded by saying that he recognised the impact of the pandemic on families, giving it as the reason he recently voted against more stringent Covid-19 measures.

On the Downing Street Christmas party allegations, he continued: “I have absolutely no way of ascertaining if a party did or did not happen.  On one hand we have press speculation and assertions from the government’s political opponents, on the other the Prime Minister’s assurances that no rules were broken.  I take the Prime Minister at his word.”

Boris Johnson has previously said that, “all guidance was followed completely in Number 10.” However, during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson told the House of Commons he had ordered an inquiry into whether rules had been broken.

The furore erupted after the Daily Mirror reported last week that a Christmas party, attended by 40 to 50 people, took place in Number 10 Downing Street on 18^th December, 2020.

The celebration allegedly included cheese and wine – and a secret Santa. It is said to have been pre-planned via a WhatsApp group.

The public’s outrage escalated on Tuesday evening when a video obtained by ITV News showed Downing Street staff laughing about a lockdown party in Number 10, just four days after 18^th December.

At the time, London was in Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions that made all such gatherings illegal. The law stated: “No person may participate in a gathering in the Tier 3 area which consists of two or more people, and takes place in any indoor space.”

The Metropolitan Police has stated: “It is our policy not to routinely investigate retrospective breaches of Covid-19 regulations… We will however consider the correspondence received.”

For the week ending 19^th December 2020, 3,678 people were reported to have died with Covid-19 on their death certificate in the UK. 31 people were reported to have died in Buckinghamshire that same week, within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.

On 30^th November 2021, the day that the Daily Mirror broke the Christmas Party story, Mr Smith was one of only a handful of MPs to vote against compulsory mask wearing in shops and on public transport in response to the emerging threat of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron.

Greg Smith has been contacted by Bucks Radio for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.