Four days after party email, my dad died. I’ve missed him every day since

11 January 2022, 16:23

Devastated family members of people who died of Covid 19 in May 2020 today lashed out at the Prime Minister, urging him to apologise in the wake of the news of the party at Downing St.

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie are said to have been present at the bash on 20 May 2020, along with around 30 or 40 No10 staffers.

An emailed invite obtained by ITV news showed around 100 people were invited to the "bring your own booze" bash in the garden of No10.

Mr Johnson failed to show his face in the Commons today to explain the situation or defend himself, instead sending paymaster general Michael Ellis to the chamber to answer an urgent question from Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner.

Campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice today shared details of one woman who lost her father to Covid-19 around the time of the No10 party.

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Hannah Brady on behalf of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice: "My Dad died just four days before this email was sent out, he was only 55 and was a fit and healthy key worker. I’ve missed him every day since.

"Just like the rest of the country, my family had done everything we could to keep him and others safe during the lockdown.

"Those days will stay with me for the rest of my life, just like the families of the 353 people that died that day, my family couldn’t even get a hug from our friends.

"To think that whilst it was happening Boris Johnson was making the “most of the weather” and throwing a party for 100 people, is truly beyond belief.

"At the time, everyone would have known that going to a party was wrong, so how can those running the country have thought it was OK? Could there be a more disgraceful example of 'one rule for them, and another rule for the rest of us'?

"To make matters worse, in September last year I sat in that same Garden, looked the Prime Minister in the eyes and told him how my dad had died.

"He told me he had ‘done everything he could’ to protect my Dad, knowing that he had partied in that same spot the very day that Dad’s death certificate was signed. It makes me feel sick to think about it."

The group has written a letter to the PM calling for an apology.

"It is simply a matter of common decency and respect for not only us or the British people, but the office you hold as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to tell us whether you attended this flagrant breach of your Government’s own rules."

Wes Streeting MP posted today: "While Downing Street nursed their hangovers, on 21st May I went into hospital alone for major surgery to remove my kidney cancer.

"It was the loneliest I have ever felt in my life and worse for my family.

"Others had it much worse. Johnson’s double standards add insult to injury."

In a further development today, it emerged hundreds of fines for breaking Covid laws were handed out by police in the week of the Downing Street garden party during England's first lockdown.

Scotland Yard has said it is in contact with the Cabinet Office about the May 20 2020 allegations at Number 10.

There were 807 fixed penalty notices issued for breaches of Covid rules in England and Wales in the week between May 15 and May 21 2020, the latest data from the National Police Chiefs' Council shows.

While a full breakdown of the reasons for issuing the fines is not available, the vast majority of enforcement action would have been related to breaches of restrictions on movement and gatherings.

According to the figures, 118,963 fines were processed by police between March 27 2020 and December 16 2021.

Coronavirus rules had changed a week before the party as the Government warned it was considering tougher enforcement measures for anyone flouting the rules.