The cabinet secretary, Simon Case, has denied giving Boris Johnson any reassurances that Covid rules and guidance were followed at all times in No 10 during the Partygate scandal. In newly released evidence from the Commons privileges committee, which is investigating whether the former prime minister deliberately misled MPs over lockdown gatherings, the head of the UK’s home civil service said he was unaware of anyone else in Downing Street giving assurances either. Asked specifically whether Johnson had been told that no social gatherings were held in No 10 during the period of Covid restrictions, Case answered: “No.” Johnson faces a battle for his political future as he tries to convince a cross-party committee of MPs that he only misled the House of Commons unintentionally over lockdown events in Downing Street. Before a marathon evidence session with the privileges committee later on Wednesday, the former prime minister claimed that his assurances to MPs that Covid rules had been followed had been made in “good faith”. He is expected to argue that evidence gathered from No 10 officials “conclusively” shows that he did not deliberately mislead parliament, as he was “repeatedly” reassured by No 10 aides that no rules were broken. In his own defence document, he pointed the finger of blame repeatedly at his Downing Street aides. Although he said there was “nothing reckless or unreasonable” about relying on the assurances of his advisers, he accepted “it is clear now, those assurances were wrong”.
However, the stakes for Johnson could not be higher. If the committee decides he “recklessly” misled MPs, he faces being suspended from parliament. A suspension of 10 sitting days or more triggers a recall petition that could lead to a byelection in his west London seat. Despite Case’s claims, two MPs who were Johnson’s parliamentary aides did recall him being given assurances. Sarah Dines, his parliamentary private secretary (PPS), said Johnson had asked a meeting in the cabinet room with officials, “We did follow the rules at all times didn’t we?” and more than one person in the room agreed. Dines said she was “90% sure” one was Case. Andrew Griffith, a close ally of Johnson who was also his PPS, said he also recalled reassurances being given. Jack Doyle, the prime minister’s director of communications, also said he was unsure of Johnson’s statement that he had been “repeatedly assured no rules were broken”. In an extract from an interview with Doyle during the initial Downing Street investigation, Doyle said that on social distancing “to say they were followed completely, these are difficult things to say”. Doyle said he did not give Johnson assurances that “Covid guidance was followed at all times in No 10” and said he “did not advise the PM to say this”. But he said he did not believe the press office Christmas gathering on 18 December was a party. Messages between Doyle and another No 10 official after the Mirror sent its first query also suggest concern about a gathering held in the prime minister’s flat, known as the “Abba party” because sources claimed that the song The Winner Takes It All was blasted out at loud volume. Doyle says: “I don’t know what we say about the flat.” He adds: “Key thing is that there were never any rules against workplace drinking so we can say with confidence no rules were broken. Ignore the Xmas quiz bullshit, who cares. Just be robust and they’ll get bored.” The evidence also shows that Johnson agreed to delete a proposed line for prime minister’s questions stating that all guidance had been followed after a warning, his former principal private secretary Martin Reynolds said. Reynolds, who became known as Party Marty during the saga, said: “I do recall asking the then prime minister about the line proposed for PMQs on December 7, suggesting that all rules and guidance had been followed. “He did not welcome the interruption but told me that he had received reassurances that the comms event was within the rules. I accepted this but questioned whether it was realistic to argue that all guidance had been followed at all times, given the nature of the working environment in No 10. He agreed to delete the reference to guidance.” The report also contains new details about the gathering in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020, including an email from an unnamed official asking a colleague to “pop out a couple of tables for us to host these drinks in the garden”. Johnson insisted that the gathering, arranged by Reynolds with a previously leaked email inviting staff to “bring your own booze!” was a work event. However, the report contains new details about how parts of Johnson’s own team doubted this, including evidence from one unnamed official saying some staff were so worried it could breach rules they did not attend. Lee Cain, Johnson’s then head of communications, told the committee that the “email’s tone was clearly social and in breach of Covid guidance”, and that he warned Reynolds this was a bad idea. He added: “It was clear observing all who attended and the layout of the event that this was purely a social function.” The event emerged after the Guardian received a photograph showing the gathering, including Johnson sitting at a table with a glass of wine, and other drinks set up on a table in the garden. Cain’s email to Reynolds at the time said such drinks were “somewhat of a comms risk in the current environment”.
In his own evidence, Reynolds said he did not take this warning to mean there was concern the gathering could breach Covid rules. “I believe the concern was that the invitation or a photo of the prime minister with a glass of wine taken on a phone would leak and this could be misconstrued in the media,” he told the committee. Reynolds added, however, that “with the benefit of hindsight the language [in his emailed invitation] was totally inappropriate and gave a misleading impression of the nature of the event”. Another new snippet connects to the event held to mark Johnson’s birthday on 19 June 2020, for which both he and Rishi Sunak received fixed-penalty notice fines. The new report includes evidence from an unnamed No 10 official saying that Carrie Johnson. the prime minister’s then-fiancée, was “planning an evening gathering in the garden” for his birthday, although they were not sure if this went ahead. One resonant quote from someone described only as a former No 10 official castigated Johnson for what they saw as a lack of leadership in not stopping social gatherings amid lockdown, including in the Downing Street press office. “The route he took down the corridor looks straight into the press room and vestibule so it’s impossible not to see,” they said. “He had the opportunity to shut them down, but joined in, made speeches, had a drink with staff. He could have taken the issue up with Martin Reynolds, his principal private secretary, to shut them down. He could see what was happening and allowed the culture to continue.” Johnson gave evidence to Sue Gray’s inquiry into lockdown parties in Downing Street saying he did not see it as being against Covid rules to work in the No 10 garden while having a bottle of wine.
The interview notes from her investigation have been published by the privileges committee as part of documents the former prime minister could rely on during questioning on Wednesday. In undated remarks, Johnson told Gray’s investigation: “I would encourage people into the garden for the pandemic. I felt it would be wrong to stop people going into the garden. “It is democratic and conducive to staff wellbeing – where to go to draw the line? When you are in the garden and in a meeting it was OK to have a bottle of wine accompanied by alcohol in moderation. Certainly not against the rules as I understand them.”