Petition set up to “bring justice” to alleged Downing Street partygoers

A Skegness woman has set up a petition calling for attendees of the latest alleged Downing Street lockdown party to be brought to justice.

The government is facing more and more pressure after reports emerged of yet another party held at Downing Street while the rest of the country were observing lockdown rules imposed by those in power themselves.

A leaked email revealed by ITV News showed that around 100 people were invited to a “bring-your-own-booze” party at the garden of 10 Downing Street in May last year, when England was in the height of the first national coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has again declined to say whether he was among those in attendance, even going as far as to not turn up to an urgent question to Parliament over the allegations on Tuesday, January 11.

Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said in the House of Commons that the PM “can run but can’t hide” in response to his absence from the chamber, as paymaster general Michael Ellis was sent in place of Boris Johnson, but did little to answer any of the burning questions from the opposition.

It is believed that the alleged party took place on May 20, just over a month after the Prime Minister had been moved into intensive care for treatment of his case of COVID-19.

On the same day, minister Oliver Dowden reminded the nation during government’s daily press briefings that they must only meet in pairs outdoors or with people from your household.

A petition has now been set up calling for Downing Street partygoers to be brought to justice, and it so far has around 2,000 signatures at the time of reporting.

Organiser of the fundraiser, Elissa Harper from Skegness, said: “While the rest of the country were obeying the rules, loved ones dying alone, mourners unable to attend funerals due to limits & some frightened to go out whilst that lot in the government having garden parties.

“It’s a disgrace. They are not above the law & justice needs to be served to ALL involved.”

The petition says that the government “must be held accountable” and that they “are not above the law” as Elissa appears to be one of many in the British public seeking answers to this debacle.

It is far from the first accusation of a lockdown party held by the government, after it was claimed that the Prime Minister’s staff broke their own COVID-19 rules by holding festive bashes at Downing Street in the run up to Christmas in 2020.

A party with allegedly 40 to 50 people in attendance took place on December 18, while the rest of London were in tier 3 restrictions, limiting the general public to no indoor mixing.

The saga grew uglier as multiple videos were leaked, first of Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg, and then the PM’s press secretary at the time Allegra Stratton, mocking the idea of Christmas parties, making jokes and bursting into laughter.

The intense backlash that followed from this resulted in Stratton resigning from her position.

In Lincolnshire, between March 27, 2020 and May 16, 2021, there were a total of 982 fines issued for COVID breaches, and despite no further investigation into the alleged Christmas parties at Downing Street, the Metropolitan Police has said it is in contact with the Cabinet Office about these recent allegations from May 2020.