10 Downing Street

Boris Johnson Pictured at Lockdown Quiz Featuring Champagne, Is Toast | Eater London

"Allegations center on a December 2020 illegal 'digital quiz' held inside the prime minister's official residence, in which a photograph shows an open bottle of champagne (or other sparkling wine) beside a bald, bespectacled attendee wearing tinsel. Presented as key evidence in the wider 'Partygate' controversy, the image undercuts assertions — including from the education secretary — that no alcohol was present and piles onto a mounting cache of material that has made denials harder to sustain. An interim Sue Gray report concluded there were 'failures of leadership and judgement', that such events 'should not have been allowed to take place', and that some gatherings were 'difficult to justify' while the public faced strict COVID restrictions; the Metropolitan Police have opened an investigation. Former senior adviser Dominic Cummings has further hinted that more incriminating photographs exist from the private flat, and the building's repeated association with rule-breaching social events (many involving wine and cheese) has intensified scrutiny of those in charge during the pandemic." - Adam Coghlan