Allegations - Central News Hub

‘Partygate’ puts Boris in the dock

In the latest in a string of such allegations, Johnson and others allegedly held a drinks gathering in the garden of his official residence in May 2020 when any in-person socialising was outlawed, reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was embroiled Tuesday in another scandal over his government’s alleged lockdown breaches as police said they were investigating a Downing Street gathering attended by dozens of top officials.

In the latest in a string of such allegations, Johnson and others allegedly held a drinks gathering in the garden of his official residence in May 2020 when any in-person socialising was outlawed.

An email leaked late Monday indicated that Martin Reynolds, a senior civil servant, invited more than 100 Downing Street colleagues to “bring your own booze” to the event, which Johnson and his wife Carrie allegedly attended.

The potentially highly damaging revelations follow a series of similar accusations which emerged last month about Downing Street parties held during later lockdowns in the run-up to Christmas in 2020.

They prompted Johnson to appoint another senior civil servant, Sue Gray, to investigate the allegations, and she is now expected to expand her probe to cover the new claims.

Meanwhile, in a statement released late Monday, London police said they were also making enquiries over potential breaches of the lockdown laws in relation to the May gathering.

“The Metropolitan Police Service is aware of widespread reporting relating to alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street on May 20 2020 and is in contact with the Cabinet Office,” the force said.

Johnson has previously denied knowledge that any rules were broken in Downing Street during the pandemic, as he faced weeks of excoriating headlines over the previous allegations before Christmas.

But the latest accusations appear to directly contradict those claims.

In the May 2020 email sent by Reynolds, he wrote: “After what has been an incredibly busy period it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening.”

Britain at the time was in the throes of its first lockdown, and outdoor social gatherings of any kind were banned.

ITV News, which obtained the email, said around 40 staff ended up gathering in the garden that evening, eating picnic food and drinking.

BBC News, which followed up, said it had contemporaneous emails from some Downing Staff that questioned the wisdom of the invitation.

“It’s right that Sue Gray is looking into this matter independently,” Health minister Ed Argar told Sky News on Tuesday during a round of broadcast interviews.

“I’m not going to make comments that would prejudge or get in the way of that.”

'Misleading parliament is a resignation matter…he has said in parliament he had no knowledge of these parties and no rules were broken.'

Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross on whether Boris Johnson should resign over the partygate scandal.@eddiemair | @Douglas4Moray pic.twitter.com/sP9ppfDPTT
— LBC (@LBC) January 11, 2022

Johnson had hoped to start the new year with a reset of his embattled government, leaving behind the so-called “partygate” scandals that ratcheted up the pressure on his position, after a series of other claims of sleaze.

But many of Tuesday’s newspapers, including those which normally back Johnson and his Conservative party, again splashed the latest revelations over their front pages.

“Enough Boris! You must end ‘partygate’ farce now” implored the typically supportive Daily Express.

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Sun Mark Denies Allegations Against Chairman Lord Rami Ranger

“We are concerned that the claimant gave the tribunal a highly distorted account of a part-recorded telephone call with our Chairman, in which she shouted and deliberately goaded him with insults about his family and business before secretly recording the conversation. We believe the call amounted to entrapment”

Sun mark Ltd, one of the leading FMCG firms in the UK, denies press reports accusing the chairman of misconduct.

Lord Rami Ranger CBE

Several newspapers, including The Times and The Daily Telegraph, carried a story alleging Chairman Lord Rami Ranger shouted at a former employee and sweared during a heated argument on the phone.

“We strongly deny allegations of victimisation, harassment and discrimination against our Chairman and Chief Executive and the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has granted them an appeal on numerous grounds including to consider whether the tribunal has erred in its decision that the Claimant did not act in bad faith, the group, one of the largest and award winning exporters in the country, said in a statement.

“The tribunal found the claimant had “exaggerated matters considerably” and “distorted” evidence, ruling that she was “not entirely a reliable witness” and “not credible”. It dismissed many of her allegations, deciding that they were impossible to believe.

“We are concerned that the claimant gave the tribunal a highly distorted account of a part-recorded telephone call with our Chairman, in which she shouted and deliberately goaded him with insults about his family and business before secretly recording the conversation. We believe the call amounted to entrapment. The tribunal agreed that many of the words attributed to him by the claimant’s translator were never said, but the tribunal had not properly taken into consideration the fact that the call was only part recorded after our Chairman had been insulted and provoked. The EAT has granted an appeal and agreed that the grounds are sufficiently strong to proceed to a full hearing in relation to the findings against our Chairman.”

The group also denied charges against the work practices in the company.

Indian-origin businessman Lord Rami Ranger with Prime Minister Boris Johnson

“In relation to the single allegation that was upheld against the Chief Executive, we are pleased that the Employment Appeals Tribunal has again agreed to our request for a full appeal hearing,” the group added in the statement. “We consider that the finding against him, based on his decision not to respond to an email from the claimant, instead referring the matter for independent investigation, contradicts the tribunal’s conclusion that he had handled matters skilfully.

“The claimant made serious allegations against an employee, Mr Sharma, in her tribunal claim, which she had not previously mentioned in her statement to the police; no police action was ever taken, there was no corroborative evidence, witnesses contradicted her claims and the serious allegations were dismissed by the tribunal.

“The tribunal found she “put a far more sinister interpretation on what happened, which is not credible. The integrity of colleagues who were witnesses in the investigation was also called into question by the claimant, but the tribunal found their evidence credible. The Company have re-opened the investigation; however, we understand that Mr Sharma is applying for permission to appeal the findings against him and we await the outcome of that process before considering whether disciplinary action is necessary.”

The tribunal acknowledged there is no history of discrimination or harassment in any of our companies. The company, chairman and directors take their responsibilities as an employer very seriously; we do not accept harassment of any kind in the workplace and we take remedial action if there is any cause for concern.

Our application for a Restricted Reporting Order was predominantly based on the claimant’s right to anonymity, which she understandably wanted to protect. As soon as she decided to waive her anonymity, we withdrew our application as it was no longer necessary. We understand that Mr Sharma continued with an application for privacy to protect his own rights to privacy given the seriousness of the allegations made against him that were dismissed by the tribunal.

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