British government office had ‘wine Fridays’ during lockdown

Staff at 10 Downing Street, where the Minister of Finance of United Kingdom currently lives and works, held meetings called “wine Fridays” during the lockdowns against the coronavirus in England, reported the British tabloid The Mirror on Friday (14).

A former employee who worked at the prime minister’s official residence Boris Johnson until 2020 confirmed to CNN that these meetings took place regularly.

The source said that other people referred to them as “wine Fridays,” but the source did not personally attend the events. Downing Street is home to a number of offices where the UK government operates. Officially, number 10 is the home of the prime minister, and number 11 is the home of the finance minister, but this has been reversed in recent years.

Revelations of several Downing Street parties – including one the night before the funeral Philip’s principle in April 2021 – caused a major political scandal for Boris Johnson, and raised questions about how long he can survive as leader of the Conservative Party.

when contacted by CNN, Downing Street did not deny the report. She referred the contact to an ongoing investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray into these meetings.

“There is an investigation underway to establish the facts about the nature of the meetings, including attendance, setting and purpose with reference to adherence to the guidelines at the time. Findings will be made public in due course,” a spokesperson said.

“I’m really sorry”

The news comes as the former director general of the task force Covid-19 UK government official Kate Josephs apologized for attending the festivities on December 17, 2020 while the UK was in lockdown.

“I met with colleagues who were at work that day, over drinks, in our office at the Government Office, to mark my departure from the Civil Service,” Josephs said Friday in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

Josephs, who is now the chief executive of Sheffield City Council, added: “I am sorry for doing this and for the anger people felt as a result. Sheffield has suffered greatly during this pandemic and I apologize unreservedly.”

In his statement, Josephs also said that “the specific facts of this event will be considered in the context of the Cabinet investigation. I did not attend any events in Downing Street.”

UK government guidance at the time read: “While there are exemptions for work purposes, you must not have a work lunch or Christmas party as this is primarily a social activity and is not permitted by the rules at your level.” .

Conservative lawmaker Andrew Bridgen became the latest politician to demand Johnson’s resignation on Saturday. He told British broadcaster Sky News that the prime minister’s position was now “untenable” and that Johnson should “resign for the good of the country”.