Anger is continuing to build after fresh leaks have revealed that more boozy parties were held at Downing Street during lockdown when restrictions banned indoor mixing in April 2021.
In the latest addition to the ongoing “partygate” crisis that’s threatening the Prime Minister’s political future, the two separate gatherings – which were originally reported in The Telegraph yesterday evening – were allegedly said to have occurred on the 16 April, which was the night before the Queen was forced to sit by herself at her husband Prince Philip’s funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
The gatherings were reported to have included people drinking and dancing to music until the early hours of the morning.
It is claimed that the two 16 April events were held in two different parts of the Downing Street complex, but later joined together in the garden, with around 30 people attending both gatherings combined.
The Telegraph reported that one leaving event was held for James Slack – the Prime Minister’s departing Director of Communications, who left to become Deputy Editor-in-Chief at The Sun newspaper – while another was for one of Mr Johnson’s personal photographers.
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It was reported that one staff member was said to have acted as a DJ at one of the events, while another is reported to have expressed fears that too much wine was being spilled on a carpet, while one eyewitness even told the newspaper that a staff member used and broke a child’s swing in the garden belonging to Mr Johnson’s son, Wilfred.
🔴EXCLUSIVE: Two parties held in Downing Street as Queen and country mourned death of Prince Philip https://t.co/iyngw6pRrB
The newspaper’s account of the parties also claimed that one attendee was sent to a nearby supermarket store with a suitcase to be filled with bottles of wine and brought back to Downing Street.
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James Slack has released a statement this morning saying he wanted to “apologise unreservedly for the anger and hurt caused” by the gathering held to mark the leaving of his role, adding that the event “should not have happened at the time that it did” and that he “takes full responsibility”.
A Number 10 spokesperson told The Telegraph that the Prime Minister was not in Downing Street that day.
He was said to have been at chequers.
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Yet the leaks of these newly-alleged parties only appears to be adding to the growing calls for Mr Johnson to resign or be removed from his role.
Sir Ed Davey – the leader of the Liberal Democrats – took to Twitter to call for the Prime Minister to resign following the fresh claims, saying: “The Queen sitting alone, mourning the loss of her husband, was the defining image of lockdown. Not because she is the Queen, but because she was just another person, mourning alone like too many others.
“Whilst she mourned, Number 10 partied. Johnson must go.”
The Queen sitting alone, mourning the loss of her husband, was the defining image of lockdown. Not because she is the Queen, but because she was just another person, mourning alone like too many others. Whilst she mourned, Number 10 partied. Johnson must go.
His comments were also echoed by Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, who too took to Twitter yesterday to write: “The Queen sat alone in mourning like so many did at the time with personal trauma and sacrifice to keep to the rules in the national interest.
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“I have no words for the culture and behaviours at Number 10, and the buck stops with the PM.”
Fran Hall – from the campaign group COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice – added: “If your neighbours had behaved like this, you’d have been disgusted. For the people running the country to do it and then lie about it, shows a complete disdain for the general public.”
Ms Hall added: “The Conservative MPs that are keeping him in power disgrace their country.”
The Queen sat alone in mourning like so many did at the time with personal trauma & sacrifice to keep to the rules in the national interest. I have no words for the culture & behaviours at number 10 and the buck stops with the PM. https://t.co/OZD3GEBL4z
Five conservative MPs – Caroline Nokes, Douglas Ross, Sir Roger Gale, William Wragg, and the latest, Andrew Bridgen – have publicly announced that they have submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister.
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If a total of 54 letters are received, Mr Johnson will be forced to face a confidence vote over his leadership.
At the time when the newly-alleged parties were held back in April 2021, the country was in a period of national mourning, and England was still under strict COVID lockdown rules that banned socialising with other households indoors unless you had formed a support bubble, and people in England were also prevented from meeting outdoors in groups larger than six, or from more than two households.
Restrictions also limited funerals like Prince Philip’s to just 30 attendees with strict social distancing, while only 15 were allowed to gather for wakes.
These multiple allegations of COVID rule-breaking, both Downing Street and other government buildings, are currently subject to an investigation by senior Civil Servant,Sue Gray – however, she is not expected to report on her findings until next week at the earliest.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
The Manc -
14th January 2022 
