Top Tory flees into wrong pub when Mirror asks simple Partygate question
A rattled Tory London mayoral hopeful fled into the wrong pub to dodge questions over the Mirror's Partygate tape.
Three members of Moz Hossain's campaign staff attended the "Jingle and Mingle" lockdown-busting bash at Conservative HQ.
Our reporter tracked down the City Hall hopeful to grill him on whether the partygoers are still on his team as he tries to become the party's candidate to take on Labour’s Sadiq Khan.
But the criminal barrister was tight-lipped as he strolled through Kingston-upon-Thames, South West London, to meet Tory grassroots activists in a pub on Wednesday.
He was so desperate to flee our questions, he then walked into the wrong venue.
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Mr Hossain refused to answer when confronted by our reporter, who told him: “People died during Covid and people who are on your campaign were partying when there were Covid restrictions, do you have nothing to say to that?
Tory mayoral candidate Moz Hossain (Daily Mirror)
Tory mayoral candidate Moz Hossain arrives at a venue in South West London (Daily Mirror)"Nothing to say at all? Nothing to say?"
When he was first approached, Ms Hossain repeatedly said, “lovely to see you”, as he waved and smiled at our Mirror photographer.
Our reporter then asked: “Three people on your campaign were in the Patygate video, are they still on your campaign?”
A woman accompanying him said: “I wasn’t”, while Mr Hossain tried to distract from questioning by gesturing to cars as he and our reporter crossed the road.
At the weekend, the Mirror published the previously unseen footage that shows Tory aides drinking, dancing and laughing at lockdown rules during the pandemic.
The video shows Ben Mallet, who is running Mr Hossain's campaign, holding a glass of red wine and festive braces. He was controversially awarded an OBE in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list.
Malin Bogue, right, was filmed dancing to the Pogues' Christmas hit in the video
Ben Mallet, right, was handed an OBE by Boris JohnsonMr Hossain declined to say if Mr Mallet is still working for him. He also would not say whether his campaign had dismissed Malin Bogue, who was shown bashing into a table laden with buffet food as she twirled around Tory HQ in a red dress as The Pogues' Fairytale of New York belted out.
A third member of Mr Hossain’s campaign team was also at the rule-breaking event on December 14, 2020, which was organised by then Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey’s team.
Mr Bailey, who left the party before the video was taken, is set to take a seat in the Lords of Lords next month after he was given a peerage on Mr Johnson's resignation honours list.
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There have been calls for him and Mr Mallet to turn down the awards.
London Mayor Mr Khan said today that the footage was "deeply upsetting to many Londoners".
Speaking at Mayor's Question Time, he said: "The actions of Assembly Member Shaun Bailey are simply indefensible and yet they are being rewarded."
Mr Hossain went into the wrong restaurant to escape our reporter (Daily Mirror)
The City Hall hopeful was meeting activists (Daily Mirror)"Nobody is above the law," he told LBC.
Chair of the Police and Crime Committee Caroline Russell requested an "urgent meeting" with the Chair of the London Assembly to discuss whether Mr Bailey's membership of the committee that has oversight of the Metropolitan Police.
She said she is "deeply concerned" by the new evidence.
Scotland Yard previously closed its investigation without issuing any fines as it concluded there was "not sufficient evidence on which to assess that an offence had been committed”.
The Met Police has said it is "considering" the new Mirror Partygate footage.
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