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| Downing Street apologises to Queen over lockdown parties | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Downing Street has apologised to Buckingham Palace for two staff parties in No 10 the night before Prince Philip's funeral. | |
| The gatherings, first reported by The Telegraph, took place on 16 April 2021 and went on until the early hours. | |
| The PM's spokesman said it was "deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning". | |
| Boris Johnson was not at either party - but he faces questions over alleged Covid rule-breaking at No 10. | |
| The latest party revelations led to a backlash from opposition parties, who contrasted the behaviour of No 10 staff with pictures of the Queen sitting alone at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, due to Covid restrictions. | |
| Live: Parties on eve of funeral regrettable - No 10 | |
| Will two Tory tribes go to war with the PM? | |
| Grassroots Tories vote unanimously against PM | |
| The two staff get-togethers, on 16 April last year, took place at a time when Covid restrictions banned indoor mixing. | |
| They have been added to the list of parties in government buildings being investigated by senior civil servant Sue Gray. | |
| After the apology, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "This shows just how seriously Boris Johnson has degraded the office of prime minister. | |
| "The Conservatives have let Britain down. An apology isn't the only thing the prime minister should be offering the palace today. | |
| "Boris Johnson should do the decent thing and resign." |