Tories at 'jingle and mingle' Partygate bash 'could be stripped of honours'
Tories who were at the lockdown-busting bash exposed in the Mirror’s Partygate tape could be stripped of their honours, a Cabinet minister has said.
Scotland Yard are examining bombshell footage that shows campaign staff enjoying a raucous knees up in Conservative HQ during the pandemic.
The “jingle and mingle” Christmas gathering was attended by failed London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and campaign aide Ben Mallet.
As part of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list a week ago it was announced that the pair will receive a peerage and an OBE respectively.
Families who lost loved ones in the pandemic have called for them to be blocked.
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Ben Mallet, pictured wearing braces, has been handed an OBE
He is now running Moz Hossain's campaign to become London mayorA Cabinet minister has suggested they could lose their honours if the police take action over the party.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The Metropolitan Police are 'looking into' the events... They will no doubt come to their conclusions.
“There are then mechanisms involving the Forfeiture Committee that can lead to changes to honours that have been given in the past. But I don't want to start pre-judging that process."
A senior Conservative called on Mr Bailey to consider handing back the peerage given to him by Mr Johnson.
Tobias Ellwood told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there are "big questions" around his peerage.
"Absolutely he needs to consider that, if I'm frank," added the Tory chair of the defence select committee.
Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine has written to the Forfeiture Committee to demand that Mr Johnson's honours list is "revoked in its entirety" following the publication of the Partygate tape and the Privileges Committee investigation into the ex-PM's lies.
"I am urging you to open an investigation into the potential withdrawal of all of Boris Johnson’s honours," she wrote.
Shaun Bailey was also at the party, but left before the Partygate tape was recorded (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)"Clearly, the circumstances around this list - and the events which have occurred since its release - are unprecedented and have brought the honours system into disrepute."
In the video, Mr Mallet is filmed holding a glass of red wine and wearing festive braces.
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He was the Tories' campaign director for the 2021 London mayoral election. He now runs the campaign of Moz Hossain, who wants to stand in next year's mayoral race.
Mr Bailey, who left the event before the video was taken, earlier this week 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.
Scotland Yard has said it is “assessing” the footage of the Christmas knees, which was taken in December 2020 when socialising indoors was banned in London.
Officers closed a previous investigation without issuing any fines after concluding there was insufficient evidence.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, the Commissioner has suggested the video could lead to the revellers being fined.
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The dance pair hit the buffet tableFollowing a request, the Mirror has handed the tape to the police.
Sir Mark told The News Agents podcast earlier this week: "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."
Mr Stride said yesterday the Tories must end their bickering following the departure of Boris Johnson from the Commons.
He argued that the "caravan has got to move on" from the former prime minister after MPs overwhelmingly backed a report that found he had repeatedly lied.
Rishi Sunak has been accused of a "cowardly cop-out" by avoiding the vote on the Privileges Committee's findings that Mr Johnson deliberately misled MPs over Partygate.
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