Bucks MP’s patience ‘wearing thin’ after ‘BYOB’ Downing Street lockdown party scandal

Following further accusations this week of parties taking place at 10 Downing Street while the country was in lockdown, the MP for Buckingham, Greg Smith, has told Bucks Radio his patience is “wearing thin.”

On Monday, an email written on 20^th May 2020 by the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, was leaked to ITV News. It was reportedly sent to over 100 people, inviting them to “socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden” that evening, adding, “bring your own booze!”

It has been alleged by witnesses that up to 30 people attended, including Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie. Senior civil servant Sue Gray is leading an inquiry into exactly what took place.

Speaking to Bucks Radio on Tuesday, Conservative MP Greg Smith said: “It’s a mess. We do need to wait for the Sue Gray investigation. Pre-judging a whole investigation would be a foolish thing to do – you wouldn’t do that in a court of law but we’ll leave it at my patience is wearing thin.”

He added: “I get the anger. The parties need to be met with the same prosecution as other people faced for having similar events and that’s why the investigation needs to find out who did what, where and when.”

[PICTURE: Boris Johnson with Greg Smith]

On Wednesday, having previously refused to confirm or deny his attendance at the event held in his own garden, Boris Johnson spoke before Prime Minister’s Questions, addressing the latest revelations.

Opening his statement with the words “I want to apologise” he went on to say that he was only in the garden for 25 minutes, that he thought the gathering was “a work event” and that “it could be said to fall technically within the guidance.”

Following the Prime Minister’s comments, Conservative MP for Aylesbury, Rob Butler said in a statement: “The reports of a party in the garden of 10 Downing Street in May 2020 have rightly provoked rage and deeply upset people across the Aylesbury constituency.”

He continued: “I am therefore pleased that the Prime Minister has today taken full responsibility and apologised for what happened that evening. He was right to do so. The Prime Minister said he regrets very much that things were not done differently and that he should have sent the staff in the garden back inside. I entirely agree with him.”

[PICTURE: Rob Butler]

Lawyer and political commentator from Buckingham, Peter Stefanovic, was somewhat less impressed with the Prime Minister’s explanation of what took place on 20^th May 2020.

He told Bucks Radio: “The explanation given by Boris Johnson in Parliament today that he wandered into the garden, stayed for 25 minutes and didn’t realise it was a party is both ludicrous and insulting to the millions of people who sacrificed so much to follow the very rules he imposed, broke and lied about. He should resign immediately and then hand himself into the nearest police station!”

In a statement released late on Monday evening, police said: "The Metropolitan Police Service is aware of widespread reporting relating to alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street on May 20 2020 and is in contact with the Cabinet Office."