Boris Johnson was reportedly pictured at a 10 Downing Street garden rally during COVID-19 lockdown

Britain’s Guardian newspaper published a photograph of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and more than a dozen other people drinking wine in the garden of his Downing Street residence, which it said was taken during a lockdown of COVID-19 in May 2020.

In response, Mr Johnson’s office said there were staff meetings in the garden that day.

The Prime Minister has been touched by a series of media reports about alleged Christmas parties at government offices, including his own, which took place last year when the UK was in the throes of a strict COVID-19 lockdown, and ordered an investigation.

Reports have dismayed voters who were told by the government to sacrifice their own Christmas events last year, and who risk being told to put the brakes on their Christmas plans for the second year in a row as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly .

The photo released by the Guardian was reportedly taken in May 2020, shortly after Mr Johnson was released from the hospital where he had spent several nights in intensive care with COVID-19.

It shows Mr Johnson with his wife, Carrie, who appears to be holding their newborn son, and two other people at a table on a patio in the Downing Street Garden, with cheese and wine.

Nearby is another table of four other people, and a short distance away is a larger group standing on the grass around a table with bottles of wine.

Loading

The Guardian said the photo was shared with him after Mr Johnson’s office last week denied that a social event took place that day.

Instead, the Prime Minister’s Office said Downing Street staff work in the garden in the afternoons and evenings.

Asked about the photo, a Downing Street spokesperson said meetings in the garden were common at this time of year.

“Business meetings are often held in the Downing Street Garden during the summer months,” they said.

“On this occasion, there were staff meetings following a number 10 press conference.

“Downing Street is the home of the Prime Minister as well as his place of work. The Prime Minister’s wife lives at number 10 and therefore legitimately uses the garden as well. “

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows for search, up and down arrows for volume.

look

Duration: 2 minutes 4 seconds2m 4s

On the day the photo was reportedly taken, then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave a press conference urging people to follow the rules and not take advantage of the sunny weekend weather to socialize in group, the newspaper reported.

Reuters

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows for search, up and down arrows for volume.

look

Duration: 5 minutes 17 seconds5m

Loading form …