A Christmas party held at Conservative Party headquarters in London last year resulted in 24 people receiving fixed penalty notices for breaching Covid regulations. The event was held for supporters of mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey’s unsuccessful campaign. Lord Bailey previously apologised for the gathering and for inviting attendees to “jingle and mingle” despite indoor socialising being banned at the time.
An investigation into a similar gathering at Parliament six days prior is ongoing. The Metropolitan Police reopened an investigation into the Conservative Party HQ event earlier this year after footage was published by the Daily Mirror. However, the police have not confirmed the identity of anyone involved and have stated they will not be providing further details of their findings.
At the time of the party, London was under Tier 2 Covid restrictions, which prohibited indoor socialising between people from different households. Lord Bailey attended the event along with Tory aide Ben Mallett, who was later awarded an OBE as part of Boris Johnson’s honours list. Both individuals have been approached for comment regarding the recent penalties issued by the police.
The Conservative Party said that “formal disciplinary action” was taken against four staff members who were assigned to the Bailey campaign after senior CCHQ staff became aware of the “unauthorised social gathering” at Matthew Parker Street. Meanwhile, Labour party chair Anneliese Dodds criticised the incident and accused Conservatives of disregarding regulations during the pandemic. She also criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for allowing Lord Bailey to enter the House of Lords, despite the controversy surrounding the party
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More