Mirror hands over bombshell Partygate tape as police suggest Tories face fines
The Mirror has handed over bombshell Partygate footage tonight as the Met Police’s top cop suggested Tories will be hit with more fines.
Scotland Yard requested the damning video of aides dancing, drinking and laughing at lockdown restrictions as it began examining Covid rule-breaking again.
The explosive tape shows staff partying in Conservative HQ - including a couple knocking over wine glasses as they spiral into a table laden with buffet food.
The unsteady pair twirl each other around to the sounds of The Pogues' Fairytale of New York.
It is the first time footage has emerged of one of the Partygate events in Westminster. In the video, which shows a karaoke machine with flashing lights, partygoers joke about how they are breaking the rules.
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Sir Mark Rowley suggested the Met Police will fine the Tory partygoersIt was filmed in December 2020 when socialising indoors was banned in many parts of the country including London.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the newly published footage told a much clearer story than a previously seen photograph of the Christmas do.
Officers last year closed an investigation into the gathering after concluding there was insufficient evidence to hand out fines.
Sir Mark told The News Agents Podcast: "As people know, that case has been previously looked at based on a photo.
“It's very obvious a video tells a much richer, clearer story than a photo. And so, the team are looking at that with a view to whether that provides a basis for further investigation."
Sir Mark implied that action is likely to be taken over the footage.
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The dance pair hit the buffet tableHe said: "I think we can all see the colourful nature of the video and how much it tells a story way beyond the original photo. I need to let a team work through that but I think we can all guess which way it will go."
Attendees of the party were previously issued with police questionnaires to set out the details of the gathering.
But the force announced in November last year “there was insufficient evidence to disprove the version of events provided by attendees to a standard that would meet the threshold required."
Officers are expected to examine how the partygoers’ accounts of the nature of the gathering compare to the footage.
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It comes as invitations for the knees up, obtained by the BBC, show that it was described as a "Jingle & Mingle Christmas Drinks".
Downing Street today said Rishi Sunak will not strip gongs from two Tories who were at the bash.
Failed London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and campaign aide Ben Mallet were handed a peerage and an OBE respectively as part of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours.
Families who lost loved ones in the pandemic have called for them to be blocked from getting them.
But the Prime MInister’s spokesman said there were not “any plans” to do this.
Mr Bailey, who left the event before the video was taken, told ITV News he was “upset” to watch the footage that showed the gathering “obviously turned into something once I’d left”.
“I apologise again unreservedly,” he added.
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