At least 30 Downing Street staff attended party last Christmas in Tier 3 London report says, as Allegra Stratton resigns

At least 30 civil servants working at Downing Street in December 2020 attended a party and exchanged secret santa gifts, a report has claimed.

London had been moved into Tier 3 restrictions two days prior which meant the public were not allowed to mix with anyone indoors who they did not live with or

It comes as senior aide Allegra Stratton has left her position after footage showing Number 10 advisers joking about a Downing Street Christmas party during the coronavirus lockdown emerged.

The Prime Minister’s decision to launch an investigation followed a week of official denials that the party took place on December 18 2020, when London was under Tier 3 restrictions – despite reports staff drank alcohol and exchanged Secret Santa gifts.

Downing Street’s official line has now shifted with the announcement of the Case inquiry, with the Prime Minister’s press secretary declining to repeat the statement that “there was no party”.

She said “it wouldn’t be right to comment further” while Mr Case was investigating.

Number 10 would not give a timetable for Mr Case’s investigation to conclude, but the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said “we want it to be as soon as possible”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister’s apology “raises more questions than answers” as he had been “caught red-handed”.

He added: “Millions of people now think the Prime Minister was taking them for fools, that they were lied to. They are right aren’t they?”

In response to questioning from Sir Keir, the Prime Minister agreed that any evidence uncovered by the Cabinet Secretary about parties in Downing Street would be handed over to police.

The emergence of the footage of Ms Stratton’s mock press conference fuelled anger on the Tory benches about Mr Johnson’s Number 10 operation.