At a time when prime minister Johnson was under pressure to step down, the local media again revealed that the staff of the prime minister's office also held two farewell parties on the eve of the funeral of the late Prince Philip (during the national mourning period) during the strict epidemic prevention restrictions, and the participants drank and danced until the early hours of the morning. The Prime Minister's Office apologized to the Queen.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the night before Prince Philip's funeral, England still maintained social distancing measures, even the Queen strictly adhered to the epidemic prevention measures, but on the eve of the funeral, the Prime Minister's Office held two consecutive parties to bid farewell to the departing staff, and drank and danced. It was the evening of April 16 last year, and the UK was still in a period of national mourning. Due to the epidemic prevention restrictions, on the day of the funeral, the Queen can only sit alone to bid farewell to her deceased husband, and the number of people in the funeral is capped at 30, and the attendance must also maintain social distancing.
At that time, England was still in the second phase of epidemic prevention restrictions, implementing an outdoor 6-person restriction order and prohibiting non-family members from gathering indoors. About 30 staff members of the Prime Minister's Office held two parties the day before the funeral to bid farewell to the then Communications Director Sleek and Johnson's personal photographers. The Prime Minister's Office confirmed the two parties, but said Johnson was not invited and that he had traveled to his country house in Chequers on the evening of April 15 and remained until April 17.
According to witnesses, those who attended the party that day drank a lot of wine and danced until the early hours of the next morning. Johnson has an adviser in charge of the music, and the party lasts until after midnight. Some people spilled wine and soiled the carpet; others tried to sit in the baby rocking chair of the prime minister's one-year-old son and broke it. The two events were reportedly held separately at first, but combined around midnight and were held together in the gardens of the Prime Minister's Office. Hours after the party ended, the Queen and other members of the royal family gathered at St. George's Church in Windsor to attend Prince Philip's funeral.
A Johnson spokesman told reporters: "It is deeply regrettable that this occurred during the national mourning period and 10 Downing Street has apologized to the royal family. Slack, who transferred to sun department executives, also apologized, saying: "I want to apologize unreservedly for the anger and hurt caused, this should not have happened at the point in time it happened." Labour Deputy Leader Wei Yalan said that there is nothing to say about the culture and behavior of the Prime Minister's Office.
Sue Gray, a senior government official, was earlier appointed by the Cabinet Office to withdraw the investigation of a series of previous parties in the Prime Minister's Office, and the Times reported that the investigation found no evidence of violations, but would blame Johnson for lack of judgment.