Minister says sorry over Tory lockdown party video

Michael Gove has apologised for a video showing Tory activists at a Christmas party during lockdown in 2020, saying it is “indefensible”.

The video published by the Mirror shows workers drinking and dancing at an event in London in December that year.

The housing secretary told the BBC the footage was “terrible” and would leave people feeling “extremely angry”.

The Conservative Party said it had already taken disciplinary action over the event.

In the footage, one person is heard saying it is OK to film “as long as we don’t stream that we’re, like, bending the rules”.

The paper says the video sheds new light on a gathering that police had previously looked into.

The video, taken at the Conservative party’s headquarters in Westminster, dates from when London was in Tier 2 restrictions during the pandemic.

This meant people were banned from socialising indoors, except with members of their household or a support bubble.

People in London who did want to socialise at that stage of the pandemic had to do so in a garden or at a pub with outdoor seating – but such gatherings were limited to groups of six people.

Police investigated the event last year and no fines were issued.

Shaun Bailey, who was given a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list this week, was running for London mayor at the time the video was filmed, and members of his campaign team attended this gathering inside the Tory party’s HQ.

The event has been reported before, but only still photographs were published by the Daily Mirror. Although Mr Bailey was photographed surrounded by party workers in those images, he is not seen in this newly-obtained video.

Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Gove said he would like to “apologise unreservedly” over the video.

He added that people who accepted the “curtailment of liberty” during the Covid lockdowns would be “extremely angry” seeing the footage.

In November 2022, Scotland Yard said it was taking no action against Mr Bailey nor other people who attended the gathering.

The Conservative Party said four people seconded to Mr Bailey’s campaign were disciplined.

In the 45-second video on the Mirror website, people can be seen drinking and standing in groups, while a man and a woman can be seen holding hands and dancing.

Labour’s Angela Rayner said the attendees had “openly mocked” the rules of Covid pandemic.

“The Tories think it’s one rule for them and one rule for everyone else,” added the deputy leader.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper Tory MPs and ministers should be “sick to their stomachs” seeing this new footage.

“While families grieved and NHS staff worked on the front line, Conservative Campaign Headquarters partied.”

The Metropolitan Police have not yet responded to the new video footage.

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