London polygraph test for 10 downing street
London has been the hotspot for news this week. Allegations about a party happening at 10 Downing Street last Christmas have been released to the press. Here is the story and how a London polygraph test could resolve the issue.
When it all started
A video obtained by ITV shows senior No 10 staff joking about holding a Christmas party – days after one was held there during lockdown.
The PM’s then-press secretary Allegra Stratton is asked by colleagues about reports of a party. The questions happened as they rehearse a news conference in December last year.
In jokey exchanges, she says: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”
Downing Street continues to insist no party took place. But a source previously confirmed that a party did take place there on 18 December, with “several dozen” people in attendance. It is expected Boris Johnson will face tough questions about the party. Boris also faces questioning from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
How the story developed
The mock news conference shown in the video took place in Downing Street on Tuesday 22 December 2020. No members of the media were present. At the time, the government’s coronavirus guidance stated that people should not have Christmas parties.
A day after Ms Stratton’s exchange, Mr Johnson announced that strict lockdown rules would be in place over Christmas for parts of England, meaning many could not see relatives during the festive period.
In the clip, obtained by ITV, Ms Stratton responds in a playful tone to questions from colleagues pretending to be journalists. Special adviser to the PM, Ed Oldfield, asks her about reports of a party in Downing Street “on Friday night”. In reply, Ms Stratton says: “I went home” and then pauses. After Mr Oldfield follows up to question if the prime minister would “condone” a Christmas party, Ms Stratton asks: “What’s the answer?”
When another aide jokes that “it wasn’t a party, it was cheese and wine”, she laughs and asks “is cheese and wine all right?”, adding: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”
In response to the clip, No 10 said: “There was no Christmas party. Covid rules have been followed at all times.” No ministers have appeared in media interviews since the story broke, with some cancelling visits.
Met refuse to launch investigation
The Metropolitan Police said an “absence of evidence” and a policy “not to investigate retrospective breaches’ of Covid regulations mean it won’t look into the allegations. There has been uproar from the general public. People are declaring Boris Johnson should take a polygraph test to prove he was unaware of the festive party.
A polygraph test could help settle the dispute of Boris being aware of any party plans at 10 Downing Street. Newspapers have already released cartoons of Boris Johnson taking lie detectors. The public are applying pressure for the MET to investigate.
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