Partygate was a political scandal in the United Kingdom about gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, at a time when such events were prohibited by public health restrictions. The first COVID-19 death in the UK occurred on 5 March 2020; 18 days later, the death toll reached 335. In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would go into a full lockdown, with new restrictions on gathering socially with people from different households. As the pandemic continued, the rules for socialising evolved: on 16 September, the government introduced a new "rule of six" in England, whereby groups of more than six people were banned from meeting, and, the following month, Johnson unveiled new "three-tier" regulations, with London being placed in the "medium" tier 1 restrictions. Lockdown rules in England continued in some form until 19 July 2021, at which point almost all of them were lifted.
Despite these new regulations, social gatherings continued to take place in Downing Street and Whitehall "most Fridays", including some that were attended by the Prime Minister. In May, a cheese and wine party and a bring your own beer (BYOB) event were held in the Downing Street garden. On Johnson's 56th birthday in June, a surprise party was thrown for him in the Cabinet Office, with a second party in his flat later that evening. In December, various Christmas parties were thrown, including one in the Downing Street Press Office on 18 December that involved a Secret Santa and an awards ceremony. Two leaving dos were held on 16 April 2021, the eve of the funeral of Prince Philip.
News articles about these events began to appear in late 2021, with the majority of them published by Pippa Crerar, the political editor of the Daily Mirror, and Paul Brand, UK editor of ITV News. The story was first broken under Crerar's byline on 30 November 2021, with details of three parties. Seven days later, a video showing the Press Secretary Allegra Stratton joking about the Christmas party in the Downing Street Press Office was broadcast by ITV News. Speaking in Parliament the following day, Johnson said that he was sickened and furious to see the clip, but that "the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times".
As details of the parties continued to be revealed in news stories throughout 2021 and 2022, investigations into them were announced. In December 2021, an inquiry led by the civil servant Sue Gray was started. Gray's completed report, published in May 2022, criticised the senior leadership at both Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, and said that they must bear responsibility for "failures of leadership and judgment". In January 2022, a criminal investigation into breaches of lockdown rules at Downing Street was launched by the Metropolitan Police. As a result of the operation, 126 fixed penalty notices were issued, including one to Johnson for attending his surprise birthday party, making him the first serving prime minister to be found to have broken the law. Johnson subsequently resigned as prime minister on 7 July 2022, and as a member of parliament (MP) the following year.
Lockdown parties 2020 30 January: Two Chinese nationals staying at a hotel in York fall ill with the 2019 novel coronavirus and become its first cases in the UK. 5 March: A woman in her 70s becomes the first person in the UK to die from COVID-19. 23 March: With the UK death toll having reached 335, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces in a televised address that the UK will go into a full lockdown. New rules mean that gatherings in public of three or more people who are not in the same household are prohibited. 12 April: The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals reaches 10,000. 5 May: The UK's death toll surpasses 32,000, overtaking Italy's as the highest in Europe. 13 May: Lockdown restrictions are eased for the first time. Under the new rules, people are allowed to meet one other member of another household in an outdoor public place. 15 May: In the garden of Downing Street, an early evening cheese and wine party is held, which is attended by Johnson, his wife Carrie, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and up to 17 staff.
20 May: Martin Reynolds, Johnson's Principal Private Secretary, emails approximately 200 staff to invite them to "make the most of [the] lovely weather" and have some "socially distanced drinks" in the Downing Street garden. The email invites staff to attend from 6 p.m., and to "bring [their] own booze". Thirty to forty people attend, including Johnson for around half an hour. 1 June: Social distancing rules are eased again, with groups of up to six people now allowed to meet outside in parks or private gardens. 13 June: A "support bubble" scheme—in which single-person households are allowed to meet and stay overnight with another household—begins in England and Northern Ireland. 17 June: Emails are exchanged between Downing Street officials to prepare "drinks which aren't drinks" for the departure of private secretary Hannah Young the following day. 18 June: At 6:30 p.m., twenty-five people—including Simon Case, the Downing Street Permanent Secretary—gather in the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street for Young's leaving party, which begins with alcohol and speeches. At 7:40 p.m., the party then moves into the Cabinet Office, where it lasts until 3:13 a.m. One individual vomits, and a fight breaks out between two others.
19 June: This is Johnson's 56th birthday. A surprise party is thrown for him at 2:25 p.m. in the Cabinet Office with sandwiches, beers and a cake. The event lasts for 20 minutes, and is attended by Case, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and up to 30 staff. Carrie Johnson holds a second birthday gathering for her husband in their Downing Street flat that evening, with a number of friends. 14 September: To hinder a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the UK, the government restricts social gatherings again by implementing a new "rule of six" in England – groups of more than six people are banned from meeting in England, either indoors or outdoors. 12 October: With the number of COVID-19 cases having quadrupled in three weeks, Johnson unveils new "three-tier" regulations. London is placed in the "medium" tier 1 restrictions, which includes the rule of six. 17 October: London is moved into the "high" tier 2 restrictions. People living in London are banned from mixing indoors with those from other households. 31 October: Johnson announces that the UK will go into a second nationwide lockdown from 5 November. It will last four weeks, with household mixing banned across England. 5 November: The second full lockdown begins. People are told to remain at home, and socialising indoors is prohibited. 11 November: The UK becomes the first European country to record more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19.
13 November: A leaving do with food and alcohol is held at 6 p.m. in 10 Downing Street. Five special advisers attend, as does Johnson, who makes a speech. In Johnson's flat above Downing Street, a party is held involving food, alcohol and loud music. 25 November: The governments of the four nations of the UK agree to lift restrictions for a five-day period over Christmas, from 23 to 27 December. Approximately two dozen civil servants attend a drinks party in HM Treasury to celebrate Sunak's spending review. 27 November: A leaving party is held at 6 p.m. for special adviser Cleo Watson. Fifteen to twenty people—including Johnson—attend, with some drinking alcohol. 2 December: As the four-week lockdown ends, London moves into tier 2 restrictions, with indoor household mixing banned. 7 December: At the Department for Education, 50 members of staff are invited to have "some 'socially distanced' festive drinks" in the department's canteen on 10 December. 10 December: The drinks—hosted by Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary—are held in the canteen of the Department for Education. Between 20 and 30 people attend the gathering, which includes wine and mince pies, and lasts for an hour. 11 December: Johnson's staff bring a wine fridge through the back door of Downing Street.
14 December: Speaking in the House of Commons, Tobias Ellwood—the Conservative MP for Bournemouth East—speaks out against relaxing the COVID restrictions for Christmas, saying that it "could be very dangerous indeed". At a press conference, Hancock warns that the number of cases of COVID-19 has increased by 14 per cent in a week, and that "everyone should minimise their social contact" to control the spread of the virus. A Christmas party—formally called a "Jingle and Mingle"—is held for the campaign staff of Shaun Bailey's candidacy for the 2021 London mayoral election. The gathering, held inside at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, is attended by at least 24 people, including Bailey and Conservative aide Ben Mallett. 15 December: Ellwood attends a Christmas party of 27 people at the Cavalry and Guards Club in Piccadilly. A Christmas quiz is held at Downing Street. Most staff dial-in online from their homes, though four teams of six attend in person. Food and alcohol are provided, with one official, wary of "drunkenness", advising staff to leave by the back entrance.
16 December: With the number of cases in London at 270 per 100,000 people, Johnson announces at a press conference that the city will move into tier 3 restrictions with immediate effect. A Christmas gathering is held for staff at the Department for Transport, with food and alcohol being served. 17 December: The Daily Mail reports Ellwood's attendance at the Christmas party two days earlier. In a statement, the MP responds that the event was a "business meeting" and "absolutely COVID-compliant". Responding to the story in an interview with ITV News, Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, says that gathering "with a large number of people is a breach of the regulations". A Christmas party is held for Case's staff at the Cabinet Office. Twelve staff attend online, but five join in the office, indoors. The event lasts for 90 minutes; food and alcohol are made available. A leaving party is thrown for two Downing Street officials. Twenty people gather in the Pillared Room of 10 Downing Street from 6 p.m., with most leaving by 8:45 p.m. Johnson attends for 15 minutes and delivers a speech to thank both officials. A second leaving do is held for Kate Josephs—a director-general in the COVID taskforce who had responsibility for writing the lockdown rules—and another unnamed official. Another twenty people attend from 7 p.m., with beer and prosecco provided. 18 December: A crowded Christmas party—formally named the "End of Year Meeting with Wine & Cheese"—takes place in the Downing Street Press Office. The event, which includes a Secret Santa and an awards ceremony, lasts for several hours, during which time a panic alarm button is accidentally triggered, causing a police officer and Downing Street's on-duty custodians to arrive. 19 December: While cleaning the Press Office following the party the previous night, a Downing Street cleaner notes that red wine has been spilled "on one wall and on a number of boxes of photocopier paper". Speaking at a press conference, Johnson says that the country "cannot continue with Christmas as planned", and announces that London and South East England have been placed in newly created tier 4 restrictions. Under these restrictions, households are not allowed to mix.