Britain’s Guardian newspaper on Sunday printed {a photograph} of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and greater than a dozen different folks ingesting wine within the backyard of his Downing Street residence which it mentioned was taken throughout a Covid-19 lockdown in May 2020.
In response, his workplace mentioned there have been employees conferences within the backyard that day.
Johnson has been hit by a string of media tales in latest weeks over alleged Christmas events in authorities places of work, together with his personal, final yr in breach of Covid-19 lockdowns and has ordered an investigation.
The studies have dismayed voters who have been informed by authorities to sacrifice their very own Christmas occasions final yr, and who face the potential for being informed to curb their Christmas plans for a second yr operating because the Omicron variant spreads quickly.
The image printed by the Guardian was reported to be from May 2020, not lengthy after Johnson was discharged from hospital the place he had spent a number of nights in intensive care with Covid-19.
It reveals Johnson together with his spouse Carrie, who seems to be holding their new child son, and two different folks at a desk on a terrace within the Downing Street backyard with cheese and wine.
Nearby is one other desk of 4 different folks, and a brief distance away are a bigger group standing on the grass round a desk with bottles of wine.
Asked concerning the image, a Downing Street spokesperson mentioned: “Work meetings often take place in the Downing Street garden in the summer months. On this occasion there were staff meetings following a No. 10 press conference.”
“Downing Street is the Prime Minister’s home as well as his workplace. The Prime Minister’s wife lives in No. 10 and therefore also legitimately uses the garden.”
The newspaper mentioned the {photograph} was shared with it after Johnson’s workplace final week denied a social occasion had taken place, saying Downing Street employees have been working within the backyard within the afternoon and night.
On that day then well being secretary Matt Hancock had given a press convention urging folks to stay to the foundations and never reap the benefits of the great climate over the weekend to socialize in teams, it reported.
