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DOMINIC CUMMINGS HAS accused Boris Johnson of lying to the UK Parliament over allegations of lockdown-breaching bashes in Downing Street, insisting he told the British Prime Minister to get a grip on the “madhouse” when warning him over one “drinks party”.
The former chief adviser said today that Johnson “waved it aside” when he raised concerns over principal private secretary Martin Reynolds inviting more than 100 people to a “bring your own booze” event in the No 10 garden on 20 May 2020.
Cummings said regarding that day alone, “never mind the string of other events”, the Prime Minister “lied to Parliament about parties” by insisting he had been assured no events had taken place that would have broken coronavirus rules.
“Not only me but other eyewitnesses who discussed this at the time would swear under oath this is what happened,” he said.
Downing Street again denied that Johnson had been aware of the event beforehand.
A spokesman said the Prime Minister stood by his explanation in the parliament last week that he believed it was a work event when he found staff gathered in the garden.
The fresh allegation came after Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi insisted a flurry of eye-catching new policies being announced were not an attempt to save Johnson from being ousted as Prime Minister amid calls for his resignation, including from six Tory MPs.
In an updated blog-post today, Cummings said he had warned Reynolds that his emailed invite to staff “broke the rules”.
“Amid discussion over the future of the Cabinet Secretary and PPS himself, which had been going on for days, I said to the PM something like: ‘Martin’s invited the building to a drinks party, this is what I’m talking about, you’ve got to grip this madhouse’,” the former adviser wrote.
Updated blog: PM was told about the invite, he knew it was a drinks party, he lied to Parliament https://t.co/J3jslbQV9A pic.twitter.com/UKCxKMM80k
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) January 17, 2022
“The PM waved it aside.
“The events of 20 May alone, never mind the string of other events, mean the PM lied to Parliament about parties.
“Not only me but other eyewitnesses who discussed this at the time would swear under oath this is what happened.”
Johnson admitted attending but insisted he believed it was a work event which could “technically” have been within the rules.
Before that allegation surfaced, he had told the parliament that he had been “repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken”.
In response to Cummings’ latest claim, a No 10 spokesman said: “It is untrue that the Prime Minister was warned about the event in advance. As he said earlier this week he believed implicitly that this was a work event.
“He has apologised to the House and is committed to making a further statement once the investigation concludes.”
Meanwhile, reports have suggested that ministers were announcing a series of policy announcements, including putting the military in charge of preventing small boats from crossing the Channel and a freeze to the BBC licence fee, under “Operation Red Meat” to save the Prime Minister.
Zahawi told BBC Breakfast: “Honestly, I don’t recognise that at all.”
He added: “Government doesn’t operate like that.”
However, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the next announcement about the BBC licence fee “will be the last”, reopening the debate over the corporation’s future.
And it was reported that Home Secretary Priti Patel is set to announce within weeks that the Royal Navy will be brought in to spearhead controversial “pushback” tactics to turn away boats carrying migrants across the Channel.
Other touted policy announcements as part of Johnson’s attempted fightback include bids to reduce the NHS backlog and a push on the long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper.
But Zahawi said the policies are “on the list because these are the Government’s manifesto”.
Speaking on Sky News, he said it would be a “good idea” to have a “single command and control” to tackle Channel crossings.
“And that includes not just naval vessels but all other vessels, including Border Force, so that you actually have a co-ordinated operation in terms of the small boats,” he said.
He said the Government wants to “go after the illegal smugglers who are putting these people’s lives at risk”.
But when told those are not the ones on the boats, he added: “Well, they’re the ones we want.”
Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Let’s not pretend that this is anything other than it is, which is a pretty obvious dead cat strategy from the Government to distract from the totally disastrous leadership context that the Prime Minister is facing at the moment.”
Zahawi insisted Johnson will stay in post after further allegations of parties emerged.
Asked three times on Today whether the Prime Minister is safe, he said: “Yes, he is, because he’s human and we make mistakes.
“And, actually, he came to the despatch box and apologised and said he will absolutely submit himself to Parliament, because that’s our parliamentary democracy.”
Senior official Sue Gray, who is investigating a number of possibly rule-breaking events, has questioned Johnson, according to reports.
Zahawi said she must be allowed to carry out her inquiry into reports of coronavirus restriction-breaching events in Westminster after the Prime Minister had “submitted himself to that investigation”.
The existing busses don’t even turn up 50% of the time.
@Thom Thumb: One of the biggest irks about these new bus routes etc… is that the Govt is throwing money at these companies who in turn operate a timetable that suits the bus company and not the intending passenger.
My own area has a few more bus times, but alas, none of them would have you in work on time. So, they zip up and down the road nearing empty of passengers all day long.
A total waste of time, resources and diesel too.
Galway city centre, an old medieval city just isn’t designed for traffic. One new road built over the corrib in nearly 100 years is madness with how thw city has grown. Pedestrianise the city centre allow for public transport and cycling, and build the bloody bypass.
@Daniel Gilroy: You can only do what you’re suggesting IF you have REAL public transport. Galway doesn’t. Thus all the cars. Pushing out cars without meaningful alternatives is just.. delusional.
@Daniel Gilroy: even if the bypass got planning permission in the next year or so, it could be 10 years in the making. what do you suggest they do in the next 10 years to improve public transport and reduce car reliance?
@eoin fitzpatrick: If the raving eco fringe hadn’t blocked the plans at every turn, it would be almost built now and these plans would be much better for the city centre.
@Lone Hurler: *these bus plans
50% increase on very little is still very little
Redesigns often strip stops to increase frequency making services worse as a result.
@Pete Gilmartin: Where exactly?
Redesign in West Dublin/ North Kildare has been brilliant and I haven’t seen any stops removed.
@Gavin Tobin: Sligo for one example
Still traffic in Claregalway that never be solved
Design the routes so the buses dont have to turn right, the amount of time wasted waiting for a bus to turn right onto a busy road is ridiculous, also a shuttle train route from athenry through oranmore to the city centre would take alot of commuter traffic off the roads if it was regular enough instead of the few trains from limerick and dublin that stop at awkward times
@daveyt: should add in a park and ride at ballybrit or city north business park, but only with a good ‘bus every 10-15mins to and returning from eyre square’ route, this would definitely relieve a lot of traffic from people who are travelling in from the likes of claregalway and further afield from the north
A slip road by pass headimg south on the northern side of claregalway, plays a flyover heading north would be needed to avoid the traffic jam at the T-junction in the village centre also, the lights nor a roundabout help with through traffic
50% more of seldom is still sell them and inconsistent! Tourism in the south-east is non-existent if you don’t drive how do I get from the sea in Wexford to Kilkenny Castle when it takes me 4 1/2 hours to get to Portlaoise by public transport because I have to go into Dublin for what should be a 90 minute drive!
@Anne Marie Kearney: No joined up thinking at all, so people just drive instead.
What about people who can’t use buses? What about people with disabilities? What about people who NEED to drive?
@Alan: find alternatives. Driving is a luxury, not a necessity.
@Alan: What about them? Did they say they were taking people with disabilities’ cars while adding these buses lol?
@Niall English: This is utterly bonkers and offensive.
Rural people CAN NOT access public transport WITHOUT DRIVING.
So by your – let’s call it logic – they can’t access a bus, because that wouldn’t be a necessity.
So you think what, rural people should all just starve in their homes?
You’ve got a screw loose.
@Chris O’Brien: Niall probably doesn’t realise there is an Ireland beyond the Pale.
@Patrick Corr: and you probably don’t realise that it’s not feasible to have a bus stop at the end of every boreeen. If you choose to live remotely you can’t expect to have services at your front door.
@Chris O’Brien: You seem to think you’re entitled to have a public transport service to your front door…. Who’s going to pay for that??? …. Such a sense of entitlement is utterly offensive also. Count yourself lucky you have a car and can afford to run it. Lot’s of people in cities can’t afford that luxury but then again you make your choices and you have to live with them…..
@Alan: so if you can’t use a bus then don’t use a bus! If you need to drive then drive! I fail to see how improvements in public transport do any harm to you. If anything, improvements in public transport might result in fewer cars on the road so your driving experience might be better!
@Niall English: Some people just don’t realise and accept that its a necessity in Rural Ireland if you have a distance to travel and you don’t have Public Transport. Are we to return to the days of the Horse and Cart, Bicycle or just walk.
@Jerriko17: But I didn’t say that though, did I? They are your words not mine.
@Jerriko17: Stupid comment, no one expects a Bus Stop at the end of every road, and do you think everyone should abandon Rural Living and move to over populated towns that have no vacant properties. People have to live in Rural Ireland for numerous reasons, and do you believe they should be deprived of necessary vital transport because of their location. I might be wrong but I presume you may be a person that sufficient transport links to suffice your day to day and work requirements, and take you to the Airport for your Annual City or Beach Holiday, instead of taking the time to travel to Rural Ireland to see what Life’s really like.
@Chris O’Brien: apart from the carbon tax – which is tiny in comparison to duty etc – exactly what taxes have the Greens introduced?
@sb: to be clear, you think millionaires should pay the same rate of tax as people on social welfare?
You also think rich landlords should be given government grants to lower their energy bills, while the poor just get a few small handouts?
@Chris O’Brien: so you’re in favour of heavily taxing the super wealthy and distributing it among the poorer folk? Sounds good to me. Not sure the other parties would be interested though.
@Chris O’Brien: @Chris O’Brien: of course they shouldn’t pay the same rate of tax – and they don’t. In Ireland, low earners have an effective tax rate of 16.72%, whereas high earners have an effective rate of 36.02%.
@eoin fitzpatrick: I’m in favour of millionaires NOT targeting the poor for their social experiments. And sure, I know it’s controversial, but giving handouts to the rich, paid for at least partially by regressive taxes on the poor, seems a little unfair as well.
I know that’s not a popular opinion, but so be it.
@sb: Of course that’s not true. Carbon tax isn’t pro-rated, is it?
And we ALL know the richer you are the less likely you are to ACTUALLY pay taxes.
Anyone with access to google can find all the info they need on how much tax the wealthy ACTUALLY pay, but suffice it to say, they often pay a lot less than the poor.
One has to ask why you’d be out there in the wild shilling for millionaires while Ireland has record homelessness, record housing shortages, a failing healthcare system, failing education systems, etc.
Maybe you’ve never left your mansion.
@Chris O’Brien: not ‘shilling for millionaires’, I agreed with you. I just asked you what taxes the Greens had imposed, as per your original claim (which you seem to have deleted). Of course the super-rich have ways and means to avoid tax but that’s probably only a few hundred people – and yes, those loopholes should be addressed. And just because I ask you a question I live in a mansion!!!????!
@Chris O’Brien: completely agree with you about record housing shortages and a failing health care system. When it comes to income tax though we have a very progressive system. People on low wages pay little or no tax. People on higher wages have a marginal tax rate of over 50%. How would you feel if you lost more than half your salary in tax? (I’m not one of them by the way)
And these busses will be Electric of course?
Proposed…
have your say