The Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has admitted on Thursday that there is a threat of more “leaking” of partygate photos.
Government Ministers are bracing themselves for photos which will further damage Boris Johnson’s position as the Prime Minister.
Yesterday The Mirror released a photo of Johnson at a “Christmas party” with staff members one wearing tinsel and was sat next to an opened bottle of bubbly.
Barrister Adam Wagner told The Mirror, “The previous photograph of the Prime Minister showed what could have been a meeting briefly interrupted by a Zoom call.”
“However, the new photograph shows four people with alcohol and food, as well as a Christmas hat and tinsel, which suggests a Christmas party.
“This was held at a time when indoor social gatherings of two or more people were banned and the Government had told people they ‘must’ not have a Christmas party.”
Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings wrote on Twitter, “There’s waaaaay better pics than that floating around, incl in the (Downing Street) flat.”
EXCL: New bombshell image shows Boris Johnson with open bottle of bubbly at No 10 Christmas quiz https://t.co/2eK8mNvjdu
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) February 9, 2022
Wallace told Times Radio, “There could be a photograph tomorrow, the next day and the day after that, and that is clearly what is behind some of the people’s motives.
“How accurate they are, how much they are put in the right context, that’s what the police will find out and I think that’s a perfectly legitimate professional function to do it.”
The Defence Secretary added, “The constant leaking is clearly designed for a purpose. I think, however, we should make sure that this is done and handled by the professionals.
“The police are doing an investigation on a range of these alleged parties. And of course, all these photos etc will be pieces of evidence and I think that’s where we should leave it.
“We should leave it to the police.”
The former Prime Minister Sir John Major delivered a blistering attack on Johnson today and accused him of breaking the law.
Sir John said, “At No10, the Prime Minister and officials broke lockdown laws. Brazen excuses were dreamed up.
“Day after day the public was asked to believe the unbelievable. Ministers were sent out to defend the indefensible — making themselves look gullible or foolish.”
He added, that “deliberate lies to Parliament have been fatal to political careers and must always be so.”
Wagner, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “It sounds to me, although I haven’t seen the letters, that they’ve decided that relevant gatherings were potentially a breach of the regulations and now they’re asking people ‘Did you have some sort of reasonable excuse?’, which, in law, would effectively be a defence for being there.”
He added, “So, if he was given a fixed penalty notice for each and every one of those, I think that he would be given those sort of cumulative amounts until eventually the final one would be £6,400.
“So overall, and assuming there isn’t a big £10,000 one for hosting a gathering in the flat of over 30 people, he could still be in line for over £10,000 worth of fixed penalty notices if they accumulate.”
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday Armitage was asked if Johnson is “past the point of no return” he said, “Well, personally yes.”
He also said he has doubts over the mini reshuffle in No 10 and added, “God above. What about a sense of personal responsibility?
“‘Oh I’m going to change my chief of staff and it will all be fine.’ Oh really?”
A former Cabinet minister told The Mirror, “If Sue Gray finds he lied to parliament unequivocally, or depending what action police take – that’s it.
“Either of those two things would be terminal.”
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