Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure over Downing Street partygate allegations after being pictured alongside a bottle of alcohol at an event in December 2020.
During today’s PMQs, the Mirror newspaper published a story containing an image of the prime minister next to alcohol, crisps and people wearing tinsel at an event at a Downing Street Christmas quiz on 15 December 2020.
At the time of the event, London was in Tier 2, with coronavirus regulations banning any social mixing between two or more people from different households.
The event is not one of those being investigated by the Metropolitan Police after officers were passed evidence from the Sue Gray inquiry.
But Scotland Yard is now facing calls to investigate the matter.
Labour MP Fabian Hamilton questioned Boris Johnson on the revelation in the Commons just after it emerged.
“In the last few minutes a photo has emerged of the prime minister in Downing Street on 15 December 2020 surrounded by alcohol, food and people wearing tinsel.
“It looks a lot like one of the Christmas parties he told us never happened.”
He added: “Will the prime minister be referring this party to the police as it is not one of the ones currently being investigated?”
Mr Johnson said: “In what he has just said, I’m afraid he is completely in error.”
Challenged again during PMQs, Mr Johnson added: “That event already has been submitted for investigation.”
Official guidance said: “Although there are exemptions for work purposes, you must 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.”
Posting on Twitter, Mr Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings said: “There’s waaaaay better pics than that floating around, including in the flat.”
Adam Wagner, a human rights lawyer who has been examining COVID laws, said: “I think there is no longer any justification for the police not to investigate this event.”
He added that it now “seems obvious from the photo he himself is participating in a social gathering”.
Read more: What Downing Street parties are the Met Police investigating?
The image shows Mr Johnson alongside three members of staff, one wearing tinsel and another a Santa hat.
On the desk in front of him is what appears to be a bottle of sparkling wine and a half-eaten packet of crisps.
The Christmas quiz is not one of the eight alleged lockdown-busting gatherings are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police as part of the Downing Street partygate row.
The Scotland Yard probe follows a Whitehall investigation, led by senior civil servant Sue Gray, into the allegations that have imperilled Mr Johnson’s political future.
The Met Police has been handed more than 300 images and more than 500 pages of information by Ms Gray, which they are now reviewing “at pace” to identify which individuals they will need to contact.
The force have said they will “contact those who attended these events to get their account”.
Graham Wettone, a former Met Police officer of more than 30 years’ experience, told Sky News it was hard to know how long the investigation would take due to the number of images and pages of information that Scotland Yard had been given.
“It would be total speculation to say how long it would take them,” he said. “They’ll look to get it done as quickly as possible.
“But, by the same token, because of what the investigation is and the fact – in my view – the Met came to it really late in conducting an investigation, they will also want to do it absolutely correctly and diligently first time round.
“They won’t want to come out with an interim report. They will want to make sure they have crossed the Ts and dotted the Is.”