No 10 Christmas Party: the beginning of the end for Boris Johnson?

Daily Politics from the New Statesman

The New Statesman

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🗓️ 9 December 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Allegra Stratton has resigned as a government adviser after a video that showed her laughing about a Downing Street Christmas party, reportedly held during the peak of lockdown in December last year, was leaked to the media. The government continues to deny that the party took place.

Anoosh Chakelian, Ailbhe Rea and Stephen Bush discuss whether the scandal spells the beginning of the end for Boris Johnson and the extraordinary timing of new Covid restrictions.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks why the Labour Party is unwilling to engage with drug policy reform.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, email [email protected]

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Anouche, I'm Alfa, and I'm Stephen.
0:07.0	And on today's New Statesman podcast, we discuss the fallout of the number 10 Christmas
0:11.3	party, and you ask us, why doesn't Labour oppose the Tories on drug reform?
0:24.3	So we're recording the morning after a very big day in number 10.
0:28.6	The fallout from a video clip that ITV got hold of that shows Allegra Straton, the former
0:34.7	spokesperson for COP, practicing doing a televised press conference.
0:39.2	The press conference has never actually happened in the end, joking about how she would answer
0:43.0	a question about whether or not Downing Street staff had a Christmas party last December.
0:47.1	I've just seen reports on Twitter, but there was a Downing Street Christmas party on Friday
0:50.8	night.
0:51.8	Do you recognise it?
0:52.8	I went home.
0:54.8	Hold on, hold on.
1:00.8	With the promise to condone, how are you, Chris?
1:04.8	What's the answer?
1:05.8	I don't know.
1:06.8	I think it was the party, it was cheese and wine.
1:08.8	It was clear, it's not obvious.
1:09.8	It was cheese and wine all right.
1:11.8	It was a business meeting.
1:12.8	It was joking.
1:13.8	It is recorded.
	...

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