Boris Johnson news: Starmer says PM ‘taking people for fools’ amid reports of multiple No 10 parties

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “taking people for fools”, amid reports Downing Street held multiple Christmas parties last year while indoor mixing was banned under Covid restrictions.

Following a Daily Mirror report stating that between 40-50 people attended a bash at No 10, where staff drank and celebrated late into the night, the Labour leader wrote on Twitter: “Boris Johnson hosted multiple parties when the country was in lockdown over Christmas.

“Yesterday he claimed that was within the rules. He is taking people for fools. It’s one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else.”

Government ministers and spokespeople from No 10 have insisted that all staff “followed the guidance.”

Asked about public frustration following the Christmas party reports, business minister George Freeman told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I can’t get drawn into who was or wasn’t in the room and who was drinking which cocktail.”

Read More

Macron called Boris Johnson ‘un clown’, French press reports

Boris Johnson refuses to deny No 10 held Christmas party during lockdown last year

‘Pushback’ of refugee boats will go ahead despite mass Channel drownings, Boris Johnson vows

Key Points

• Britons overwhelmingly care about No 10 Christmas parties, poll shows...

• ...as Labour demands investigation into 2020 gatherings held during lockdown

• Minister ‘disappointed’ by Macron ‘calling PM a clown'

• Cabinet Office fined £500,000 over NY Honours data breach

• Watch: Starmer says ‘government can’t dictate who people kiss’ at Christmas

• Ministers downplay US threat on steel tariff over NI Protocol concerns

Good morning

08:06 , Thomas Kingsley

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.

We’ll bring you updates from Westminster and elsewhere as the day progresses.

Minister ‘disappointed’ by Macron ‘calling PM a clown'

08:13 , Thomas Kingsley

Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey said she was “surprised” and “disappointed” in a suggestion in the French media that Mr Macron “called Boris Johnson a clown” in private conversations amid the tensions over migrant crisis in the Channel.

Asked on ITV's Peston programme about the comments, Ms Coffey said they were “news to me”.

“I'm surprised to hear that. I'm conscious that we have a shared mission in trying to make sure that the people smuggling gangs are really brought to justice,” she said.

When it was put to her that the development was “troubling”, Ms Coffey added: “As I say, I'm surprised to hear that and disappointed, openly. I'm sure that we can continue to try and work together to tackle this. But the Prime Minister wrote formerly to the President last week and... I hope that we'll get a formal response back.”

The Times reported that a senior UK government source said: “The Prime Minister continues to be a staunch advocate for the strength of the UK-French relationship.”

Number of parties held at Downing Street in run-up to Christmas, reports say

08:30 , Thomas Kingsley

A number of parties were held in Downing Street in the run-up to Christmas last year while indoor mixing was banned in London under covid restrictions, Sky News reported.

Following reports that a large party was held in late December, it has also emerged that Number 10 staff gathered after work and drank alcohol to wind down, despite rules stating that mixing between household bubbles was banned.

On 18 December, 40 people attended a bash in Downing Street, where staff drank, chatted and celebrated late into the night, according to a report in The Mirror.

The PM's spokesman on Wednesday reiterated at a regular briefing with journalists that “at all stages the rules have been followed”.

Minister calls Macron comments ‘pretty unhelpful’

08:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Reports suggesting that French president Emmanuel Macron called Boris Johnson “a clown” are “pretty unhelpful” according to business minister George Freeman.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: “I think we are into pantomime season, aren't we? And there is a French election coming.

“It is a pretty unhelpful word. Of course, the Prime Minister isn't a clown, he is the elected Prime Minister of this country with a very big mandate, leading this country through the pandemic.

“The truth is we are looking to work very closely with France on the border issue, on tackling the problem of European migration at source - which is why we are investing in trying to stabilise countries so people aren't coming here - and, with France, we need to make sure that people in France aren't being supplied with boats and being pushed out into the Channel.

“The home secretary is working closely with French counterparts on it and the Prime Minister and the UK government are looking for a sensible conversation with France about it.

“So, I'm confident, actually, that Anglo-French relations are rather better than that quote suggests.”

No ‘snogging under the mistletoe’ between strangers this Christmas, minister says

09:00 , Thomas Kingsley

People can enjoy Christmas if they take “sensible” precautions, an expert has said, as a Government minister warned against “snogging under the mistletoe.”

Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey said people should avoid “snogging under the mistletoe” over the Christmas holiday.

She told ITV’s Peston programme that “we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us”, adding: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe.

“[You] don’t need to do things like that. But I think we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us and that’s why we’re working so hard to get the deployment of as many vaccines as possible.”

Read the full story below:

No ‘snogging under the mistletoe’ between strangers this Christmas, minister says

‘He is taking people for fools’: Keir Starmer slams Boris Johnson over lockdown Christmas party claims

09:05 , Thomas Kingsley

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer hit out and Boris Johnson and the Conservatives amid claims that 10 Downing Street held a number of Christmas parties last year while indoor mixing was banned under covid restrictions.

“Boris Johnson hosted multiple parties when the country was in lockdown over Christmas. Yesterday he claimed that was within the rules,” Keir Starmer wrote on Twitter.

“He is taking people for fools. It’s one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else.”

Downing Street staff ‘repeatedly held banned Christmas lockdown parties’

09:15 , Thomas Kingsley

Multiple Christmas parties were held in Downing Street while indoor mixing was banned under covid rules, according to the latest reports.

Boris Johnson on Wednesday refused to deny that a large party was held in No 10 in late December – breaking the regulations.But there are now new claims that staff repeatedly gathered after work to drink alcohol and play party games in their offices, despite rules banning mixing between household bubbles.

The Daily Mirror newspaper reports that on 18 December around 40 people drank and celebrated late into the night. Food, party games, and alcohol all said to have been available at the gathering, according to the BBC – whose source described the mood at as “downbeat”.

Downing Street staff repeatedly held Christmas lockdown parties

‘I’d blown up every part of my life’: Matt Hancock speaks out on kissing scandal

09:30 , Thomas Kingsley

Matt Hancock said he did not resign immediately after images emerged of him kissing his close aide (and therefore breaching social distancing guidelines) as his first focus was on his “personal life.”

Speaking on ITV’s Peston programme he said: “The first thing that I focused on was my personal life.”

“I'd blown up every part of my life and I concentrated on my personal life first, as you can probably imagine,” he told ITV's Peston programme in his first major interview since resigning from government.

Mr Hancock, who is still the MP for West Suffolk, apologised for letting people down while insisting he is in no rush to return to a cabinet position.

Matt Hancock urged to ‘set record straight’ over pub landlord’s NHS covid contract

09:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Former health secretary Matt Hancock has faced further questions over the involvement of the former landlord of his local pub in a multimillion-pound coronavirus contract.

Mr Hancock, who quit the front bench after breaching social distancing guidance by kissing a colleague, protested his innocence on Wednesday when pressed on the matter by Labour.

The Conservative MP told the opposition “no matter how hard they look or how deep they dig” they will only find “a lot of people working hard to save lives”.

Read the full story below:

Matt Hancock urged to ‘set record straight’ over pub landlord’s NHS Covid contract

Boris Johnson condemns racism as video emerges of ‘anti-Semitic’ abuse to Jewish teenagers

10:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Boris Johnson has condemned racism following the emergence of footage that appears to show a group of men spitting and hurling abuse at Jewish teenagers celebrating the first night of Chanukah on a bus in Oxford Street.

Sharing the video posted by the Jewish Chronicle, Boris Johnson said: “This is disturbing footage. Racism of any kind will never be tolerated in our society and we will continue to do all we can to root it out.

ICYMI: UK buys 114 million more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines amid omicron concerns

10:15 , Thomas Kingsley

The government has rushed through the purchase of 114 million more Covid vaccines as scientists await data concerning the true impact of the latest variant, Sajid Javid has announced.

While the deals were already on the table, the health secretary said ministers sped up the process of signing them due to the emergence of omicron.

The agreement – which involves an additional 60 million Moderna jabs and 54 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses being delivered next year and in 2023 – will also give Britain access to any modified vaccinations if they are needed to combat omicron or any subsequent new variant.

Our reporter Sam Hancock has the full report below:

UK buys 114 million more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines amid omicron concerns

Ministers continue to defend Boris Johnson over Christmas party rule-break claims

10:30 , Thomas Kingsley

No 10 staff “followed the guidance,” according to business minister George Freeman.

When asked whether Boris Johnson had acted “responsibly” by allegedly allowing a Downing Street social to go ahead last year, Mr Freeman told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Look, I wasn't there. I've been in government six weeks - I was nowhere near No 10 a year ago.

“I can absolutely assure you that No 10 staff followed the guidance.

“I can't tell you who was in the room or what happened - I wasn't there - but I've checked before coming on and I'm told very clearly that the guidance was followed."

After being told there was public frustration at the reports given that many people could not see loved ones this time last year, Mr Freeman said: “I totally understand that people around the country expect that, when we make sacrifices, that we all make them.”

He added: “I can't get drawn into who was or wasn't in the room and who was drinking which cocktail. You'll understand I wasn't there.”

Fears over Christmas wine and spirits supply played down by government

10:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Fears over wine and spirit supply crisis hitting Christmas celebrations have been played down by the government.

Labour warned of “major delays” on deliveries given the shortage of HGV drivers and pressed ministers to detail how many of the 5,000 temporary visas had been issued to non-UK drivers.

After trade minister Ranil Jayawardena said he was “not going to provide a running commentary on numbers”, he was pressed further on supplies of alcohol to the UK.

Shadow trade minister Bill Esterson said it was “extraordinary” Mr Jayawardena could not provide a visa update, adding: “The reality is that the Wine and Spirit Trade Association warns of delivery chaos, of major delays on wine and spirit delivery times - up to five times longer than last year - and increases in freight costs as well; no doubt it won't affect parties in Downing Street.”

Matt Hancock admits he ‘blew up every part of his life’ when CCTV showed him kissing aide

11:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Matt Hancock has admitted he had “blown up every part” of his life when he resigned from the cabinet after CCTV footage showed him breaching social distancing rules with an aide in his Whitehall office.

The former health secretary also defended his decision not to resign immediately after images — showing him embracing and kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo — emerged in June, saying he first concentrated on his “personal life”.

At the time, Mr Hancock, who quit his post more than 24 hours after the CCTV images were published by The Sun newspaper, had repeatedly urged the public not to hug those they did not share a household with to control the spread of Covid-19.

Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the full report below:

Matt Hancock admits he ‘blew up every part of his life’ over resignation

Minister will be holding Christmas party over Zoom

11:37 , Thomas Kingsley

Business minister George Freeman struck a noticeably different tone from health secretary Sajid Javid, by revealing he’ll be having his staff Christmas party via Zoom.

Mr Freeman also appeared out of step with Boris Johnson’s advice just days ago urging people not to cancel their Christmas parties or nativity plays.

Earlier he told Times Radio: “The department of business, we won’t be having a big Christmas party this year, nobody would expect us to. My parliamentary team, I think we have agreed, probably given the new variant will get together on Zoom and toast each other.” He admitted the remote meeting would not be the “best party in the world”.

Confusion as government gives mixed messages on Christmas party cancellations

11:51 , Thomas Kingsley

Government ministers are giving mixed messages on whether to cancel Christmas parties this year, amid concern about the rise of the new omicron covid variant.

Business minister George Freeman on Thursday morning revealed he has cancelled his own party for his parliamentary staff – and suggested larger companies might consider following suit. But it comes after health secretary Sajid Javid said there was no need for people to “change their plans”, other than consider taking a test or wearing a mask.

Speaking less than 24 hours after his colleague, Mr Freeman suggested that a gathering involving “hundreds” of people might be considered an unnecessary risk.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has the full story below:

Confusion as government gives mixed messages on Christmas party Covid cancellations

Boris Johnson ‘has spent whole life breaking the rules’ Angela Rayner says

12:05 , Thomas Kingsley

Angela Rayner has also joined leaders slamming Boris Johnson following reports he broke lockdown rules by hosting a Christmas party last year at 10 Downing Street.

Writing on Twitter, the Labour deputy leader said: “As I said on Monday @BorisJohnson has spent his whole life breaking the rules and facing no consequences.

“He thinks it's one rule for him and another for the rest of us and he takes the British people for fools.”

Watch: ‘I haven’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years’, says minister

12:20 , Thomas Kingsley

Government minister George Freeman said he hasn’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years after work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey advised Brits against sharing the intimate exchange with strangers in a bid to curb the spread of omicron.

Cabinet Office fined £500,000 over New Years Honours data breach

12:37 , Thomas Kingsley

The Cabinet Office has been £500,000 for a New Years Honour data breach which included Elton John’s details.

The Cabinet were accused of “complaceny” in the incident which led to accidentally disclosing the personal details of prominent recipients of the 2020 New Year Honours online. Concluding a probe, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the government had breached data protection law by publishing a file containing the names and redacted addresses of more than 1,000 people on the honours list.

The list included celebrities such as Sir Elton John, TV chef Nadiya Hussain, cricketer, Ben Stokes, alongside former Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, who branded the breach in December 2019 a “complete disaster.”

Our political correspondent, Ashley Cowburn, has the full story below:

Cabinet Office fined £500,000 for 2020 New Years Honours data breach

No 10 stresses it doesn’t want parties to be cancelled, amid mixed messages from ministers

12:55 , Thomas Kingsley

No 10 has stressed that it does not want Christmas parties to be cancelled, despite government departments opting to do so.

Asked why government departments were cancelling festive celebrations despite Boris Johnson urging people not to, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has been very clear on this.

“On Christmas parties, we don't want people to cancel such events. There is no government guidance to that end.

“It is right that post-Step 4 (of the road map out of lockdown), we returned to the position where people can use their individual judgment, but there is certainly no government guidance to that end, and the Prime Minister has been very clear.”

Asked what Mr Johnson made of the department for business, energy and industrial strategy (Beis) deciding to ditch plans for a pre-Christmas get-together, the spokesman said he had not spoken to the Prime Minister about it.

Don’t cancel Christmas parties and kiss whomever you like, says No 10

ICYMI: Macron called Boris Johnson ‘un clown’, French press reports

13:20 , Thomas Kingsley

Fresh evidence emerged of the depths to which the UK’s relationship with France has sunk, as French media reported that Emmanuel Macron referred to Boris Johnson in private as “un clown”.

Amid a continuing stand-off over France’s handling of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, a former French ambassador to London, Sylvie Bermann, said that cross-Channel relations had “never been so bad since Waterloo”.

Our political correspondent Andrew Woodcock has the full story below:

Macron called Boris Johnson ‘un clown’, French press reports

Labour demands formal government investigation into No 10 lockdown Christmas parties

13:30 , Matt Mathers

Labour is demanding a formal government investigation into possible breaches of Covid rules at parties held at No 10 over Christmas last year.

Deputy leader Angela Rayner has written to cabinet secretary Simon Case to ask whether he will make inquiries into events held at Downing Street – and refer any violations found onto the Metropolitan Police.

My colleague Adam Forrest has the full report:

Labour demands formal government probe into No 10 Christmas parties

UK ‘must build equivalent of worlds biggest wind farm every 10 weeks for next 20 years’ to hit net zero targets

13:45 , Thomas Kingsley

The UK must build the equivalent of a 1.2-gigawatt offshorewind farm – the largest ever built – every 10 weeks for the next 20 years in order to hit its legally binding net-zero targets, a report from the Tony Blair Institute claims.

The report highlights how the current energy crisis, which has resulted in numerous small energy providers going bust, has exposed “profound problems of design and regulation in the retail and wholesale energy markets”, and says without major adaptation, the energy market is heading towards a greater level of centralisation and higher costs for consumers.

Our environmental correspondent, Harry Cockburn has the full story below:

UK ‘must build equivalent of worlds biggest wind farm every 10 weeks’ to hit targets

Brandon Lewis: Triggering Article 16 still on table

13:55 , Matt Mathers

Brandon Lewis has said triggering Article 16 was still on the table as “substantive gaps” remained between the UK and EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Northern Ireland secretary made the comments at a press conference at the Foreign Office on Thursday, following a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

He said: “Obviously, we believe that the conditions were met for Article 16 in the summer. We haven’t triggered Article 16 because we don’t want to.

“We want to find a negotiated, agreed solution with the EU that gives certainty. Those conversations are ongoing.”

He added: “Ultimately, as I say, my position is, as is [Lord Frost’s] and the Prime Minister’s, very much that [an] agreed solution between us and the EU is the best way forward.

“But there are substantive gaps between us and if we need to use Article 16 to move things forward, then we will have to do that. We don’t want to. Hopefully we can get a positive solution through the negotiations and discussions.”

Brandon Lewis said triggering Article 16 was still on the table as “substantive gaps” remained between the UK and EU on the Northern Ireland protocol.

No 10: Important to use ‘measured and appropriate language' on protocol

14:12 , Matt Mathers

Downing Street has said it is important to use “measured and appropriate language” in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol after President Macron suggested resolving the current deadlock was a matter of “war and peace”.

Mr Macron reportedly told the European Committee of the Regions, an EU advisory body: “It’s a question of war and peace for Ireland. So we should avoid any temptation to be less than serious.”

In response, the PM’s official spokesman said: “When it comes to the protocol it is vital that we use measured and appropriate language given the sensitivities involved.

“It is obviously welcome that Mr Macron recognises that a serious situation needs to be resolved. We urgently need to make progress.”

Downing Street has said it is important to use “measured and appropriate language” in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol after President Macron suggested resolving the current deadlock was a matter of “war and peace”.

Andrew Grice: Therese Coffey has got her tongue in a twist over snogging guidelines

14:35 , Matt Mathers

The work and pensions secretary has sparked further confusion over the government’s opaque advice on the omicron variant, writes Andrew Grice.

Read his full piece below:

Therese Coffey gets her tongue in a twist over snogging guidelines | Andrew Grice

Eat less and better meat, locally sourced, to tackle climate chnage

14:59 , Matt Mathers

People should be eating less, but better, meat - which is produced in the UK - to tackle climate change, government adviser Lord Deben has said.

And British farmers producing “the best meat” should not be undermined by trade deals with countries such as Australia, Brazil and the US, where production has a bigger carbon footprint, he warned.

Lord Deben, chairman of the independent advisory Climate Change Committee, made his comments at the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) conference focusing on the move towards net zero.

Lord Deben, himself a small-scale organic farmer who produces meat, said the Climate Change Committee has warned that “over the next 20 years, we’re going to have to reduce the amount of meat that we eat by 30%”, as part of efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero overall, known as net zero.

“But we’ve also said we should be replacing it by better meat - we should eat less and better, and the best meat is the meat which actually is produced in these islands.”

He called for better labelling, including in restaurants, so people can make the right choices and said “no school, no hospital, no Army barracks should be feeding its people except on the food which is properly grown - in this country as far as is humanly possible - with the interests of net zero in mind”.

Businesses ramp up stockpiling as supply chain crisis

15:15 , Sam Hancock

British businesses have been stockpiling goods and materials at the highest rate since February, according to official figures.

More than one in 20 firms are now building up their stores, according to survey responses gathered from 15-28 November by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This rate of 6 per cent was the highest recorded since stockpiling data was first gathered in February 2021.

My colleague Anna Isaac reports:

Businesses ramp up stockpiling as supply chain crisis continues

Ministers downplay US threat on steel tariff over NI Protocol concerns

15:35 , Sam Hancock

Downing Street has distanced itself from reports that Joe Biden’s administration is delaying a deal to remove tariffs on UK steel and aluminium because of concerns over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

It comes after a report by the Financial Times, which claimed Washington is concerned about the UK’s threat to trigger Article 16, suspending part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, and how this could threaten the peace process.

The paper said that it had seen a communication in which a US commerce official said the talks on easing tariffs could not go ahead due to those concerns.

Asked about this on Thursday, though, the PM’s official spokesman insisted the tariff talks were not linked to the UK’s ongoing dispute with the EU over the implementation of the protocol.

“They are two separate points,” the spokesman said. “On the steel tariffs, we are working quite closely with the Biden administration. It is encouraging that they are taking steps to de-escalate the issue and we are very focused on agreeing a resolution that removes damaging tariffs, which will benefit businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.”

He added: “On the protocol, the US shares our deep commitment to the Belfast agreement and the peace process. The actions that we are taking are to protect the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland’s place in the UK single market.”

The 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent tariff on aluminium were originally imposed by the Trump administration in a dispute with the EU. However, while Brussels and Washington reached an agreement in October to suspend the tariffs, British steel and aluminium exporters are still subject to the levies.

Additional reporting by PA

Watch: Starmer says ‘government can’t dictate who people kiss’ at parties

15:36 , Sam Hancock

‘People shouldn’t be cancelling things,’ PM says firmly

15:50 , Sam Hancock

Boris Johnson has once again instructed the British public to refrain from cancelling events planned over the next few days and weeks, saying there’s “no need for that at all”.

Speaking to Sky News while receiving his own booster jab on Thursday, the PM said his government is trying to react “proportionately” to the omicron variant and that the “most important thing” anyone can do is get their third jabs too.

Citing “tough measures” imposed on those arriving into the UK, and new self-isolation rules, as evidence ministers are working hard to curb the new variant’s spread, Mr Johnson added “otherwise, we want people to carry on as they are”.

Johnson: All No 10 gatherings held ‘in accordance with rules’

16:05 , Sam Hancock

Our politics reporter Adam Forrest has a bit more from the PM now:

Boris Johnson has said there is no need to cancel Christmas parties or nativity plans, speaking after he received his Covid booster jab. “People shouldn’t be cancelling things … there’s no need for that at all.”

Asked about the gatherings held at Downing Street during lockdown restrictions over Christmas last year, he again insisted events were “accordance with the rules”.

He told broadcasters: “We had events for Hanukkah, we turned the Christmas lights on, and all sorts of things in No 10, and in accordance with the rules as you would expect.”

On the omicron variant and the importance of the booster jabs, he said: “We’re building ever higher the wall of protection, whatever omicron may or may not be able to do, it certainly won’t negate the overall value of the boosters.”

The PM added: “I think we’re taking a balanced and proportionate approach to the risk, but I want and I believe that Christmas this year will be considerably better than Christmas last year.”

Britons overwhelmingly care about No 10 Christmas parties, poll shows

16:23 , Sam Hancock

While Downing Street does its best to downplay the impact of potential lockdown-breaching Christmas parties at No 10 last year, the British public have had their say on the matter.

In a new YouGov poll, asking simply whether they cared if there was a festive gathering held at Downing Street last December, 73 per cent of more than 4,000 Britons voted that it did matter – just 20 per cent said the opposite.

Of Boris Johnson’s own voters, the figures are much the same: 55 per cent care, while 40 per cent do not.

Unsurprisingly, the gap is much bigger in Labour voters, where 90 per cent care and only 5 per cent do not.

So far, No 10 has steered clear of denying the various parties took place and has instead insisted that “all lockdown guidance” was adhered to at them.

Labour has argued the very fact there were parties in the first place was a clear breach of the rules, but the government has not be drawn on this.

Bereaved families ‘sickened’ by No 10 lockdown parties

16:40 , Sam Hancock

Families who lost loved ones during the pandemic have said they are “sickened” by reports that Downing Street staff breached lockdown regulations by holding Christmas parties in No 10.

It comes as the ex-head of the government’s legal service hinted the law may have been broken when Downing Street staff drank together late into the night – in defiance of Covid lockdown rules, writes our policy correspondent Jon Stone.

Covid Bereaved families spokesperson Safiah Ngah told the BBC: “My Dad died in February from Covid-19, despite being in good health. The last Christmas period is sadly one I will never forget. To think that just a few miles away, No 10 was throwing a ‘Christmas Party’, with no care for the rules they had set, is sickening.”

Bereaved families ‘sickened’ by No.10 lockdown parties

ICYMI: Labour MP Jess Phillips slams ex-health secretary over PPE contracts

16:55 , Sam Hancock

Don’t block steel deal because of Brexit, No 10 warns US

17:02 , Sam Hancock

Following my earlier post (3.35pm), our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has a bit more on seemingly mounting tensions between the US and the UK over Northern Ireland.

No 10 has warned the White House not to shelve a deal to remove tariffs on UK steel and aluminium because of anger over threats to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A former British ambassador to Washington warned the row showed UK trade will be held back until the government stops “threatening to walk away from an international agreement they negotiated”.

The “troubled” relationship with the US confirmed long-held suspicions that the US will take actions necessary to “protect a peace they helped broker,” Kim Darroch said.

Read the full report:

Don’t block steel deal because of Northern Ireland Brexit row, No 10 warns US

That’s it for today...

17:05 , Sam Hancock

That’s it from us on the politics blog for today, thanks for following along.

For all the latest Covid updates, follow our live omicron coverage. And for everything else, head to The Independent’s homepage.

Come back tomorrow for all the latest updates from inside Westminster and beyond.