Boris Johnson’s blast at BBC over partygate: PM tells friends the ‘frivolous, vengeful, partisan’ Corporation has neglected its primary duty to focus on the Covid-19 booster jab rollout
- Boris Johnson has slammed BBC’s coverage of No10’s ‘Christmas partygate’
- Said corporation had neglected ‘primary duty’ to publicise need for booster jabs
- Ministers are concerned by data showing reduced protection of first Covid jabs against infection by new Omicron variant
- Health Security Agency analysis suggests booster jabs need to be accelerated
- Comes as details of several more parties in Whitehalls including Treasury and Work and Pensions have continued to emerge
Boris Johnson has condemned the BBC as ‘shamefully frivolous, vengeful and partisan’ over its coverage of the No 10 ‘Partygate’ row.
The embattled Prime Minister turned his fury on the Corporation in the belief it has neglected its ‘primary duty’ of publicising the need for booster jabs to combat the new Omicron variant of Covid.
Mr Johnson – who is facing a Commons revolt, a crunch by-election and rumours of a vote of no confidence in his leadership – angrily told friends that the BBC’s exhaustive coverage of the party scandal has ‘wasted’ too much ‘public time and attention’ when it should be concentrating on urging the public to get their jabs now that ‘Omicron is starting to rip’.
Ministers have been rattled by data which shows people who had two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine several months ago have almost no protection against the Omicron strain, but are encouraged that a booster jab takes the protection above 70 per cent.
The analysis by the UK Health Security Agency has triggered intense debate within the Government about how the booster campaign can be accelerated in time to avoid fresh Covid restrictions.
An embattled Boris Johnson turned his fury on the Corporation in the belief it has neglected its ‘primary duty’ of publicising the need for booster jabs to combat the new Omicron variant of Covid
Mr Johnson angrily told friends that the BBC’s exhaustive coverage of the party scandal has ‘wasted’ too much ‘public time and attention’ when it should be concentrating on urging the public to get their jabs now that ‘Omicron is starting to rip’. Pictured: The details behind the ‘partygate’ coverage which has dogged No10
Ministers have been rattled by data which shows people who had two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine several months ago have almost no protection against the Omicron strain, but are encouraged that a booster jab takes the protection above 70 per cent
From tomorrow, 7.5 million people aged between 30 and 39 will be eligible to book a booster, taking the number who have been added to the online booking system over the past week to ten million.
In a separate move, Ministers are expected to scrap the controversial ‘traffic light’ system for travellers coming into the UK, meaning those arriving from ‘red list’ countries will no longer have to quarantine in hotels for ten days.
The move – which is expected to be introduced in time to spare anyone from having to spend Christmas in a hotel room – comes in response to the speed at which the Omicron variant is spreading and the expectation that there will soon be limited differences in infection rates between countries.
The ‘Partygate’ row was reignited last week when footage was leaked to ITV News of a mock press conference showing Downing Street staff joking about a ‘cheese and wine’ event on December 18 last year, despite days of denials that any party had taken place at a time when indoor gatherings were banned.
Mr Johnson was forced into a grovelling apology to the Commons while Allegra Stratton, the spokeswoman caught on the video, tearfully resigned.
In other developments:
- Scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said the UK was facing a substantial wave of Omicron infections in January, with an estimated 25,000 to 75,000 dying from the variant by April – although they noted there was uncertainty around the modelling;
- New cases of Omicron rose by 50 per cent yesterday – from 448 to 663 – taking the total to 1,898, with the variant now predicted to be the dominant form of the virus in England by the end of the year
- The latest figures showed 54,073 positive tests over the previous 24-hour period, up 12.6 per cent on the same day last week – while hospital admissions rose almost four per cent to 839 and deaths were up 1.1 per cent week- on-week to 132;
- Former Cabinet Minister David Davis uses an article in The Mail on Sunday today to oppose the Plan B proposals which he describes as a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ that ‘may do enormous economic harm for little gain’;
- Downing Street is resisting a ‘grinch’ push by Michael Gove to introduce tougher measures such as ‘pub passports’;
- Furious holidaymakers accused a major Government-approved Covid test provider of failing to send them fit-to- fly certificates in time for their departures;
- A study found that working from home is having a detrimental impact on family life as parents struggle to balance childcare with their job commitments;
- Data showed Christmas shoppers are opting to buy locally rather than in city centres amid growing concerns over the Omicron variant;
- Durham Cathedral will require worshippers attending Christmas services to show proof they are vaccinated, have tested negative within the previous 48 hours or have recovered from the virus;
- Post-mortem tests revealed two boys from the same school died within days of one another after they caught Covid. Mohammed Habib, 14, and Harry Towers, 15, both students at St John Fisher Catholic College in Newcastle-under-Lyme died in October.
Some 663 new cases of the strain were detected across the UK, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said, up from the 448 recorded yesterday. It takes the country’s total to 1,898, although experts suggest the true number is much higher
As Mr Johnson fumes about the BBC, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has launched an investigation into the alleged Downing Street party as well as another reported gathering on November 27 and an event at the Department for Education on December 10.
Mr Case – who will examine the purpose of the events, who attended and whether rules were followed – is expected to report back within days.
The story led BBC bulletins and dominated Radio 4’s Today Programme, with much of the coverage led by the outgoing Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg. In an online article yesterday, she wrote: ‘This weekend it is worth asking if ‘Planet Boris’ might actually, finally implode?’
Ms Kuenssberg incensed No 10 last month by quoting a Downing Street source as saying that there was ‘a lot of concern inside the building about the PM’.
Her report triggered a blame game within Whitehall and strong denials that the so-called ‘chatty pig’ responsible for the briefing worked for Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Mr Johnson is facing a rebellion by more than 50 Conservative MPs on Tuesday when the Commons votes on new Plan B Covid restrictions, including vaccine passports.
Amid a tidal wave of sleaze allegations, Tory chiefs fear they could lose the North Shropshire by-election two days later, despite defending a majority of almost 23,000.
Meanwhile, a growing number of Tory rebels – some linked to former Prime Minister Theresa May – are discussing sending letters to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, calling for a leadership contest.
And an opinion poll for Opinium last night gave Labour a lead of nine points, their biggest the company has reported since March 2014. The poll puts Labour on 41 per cent and the Tories on 32 with Mr Johnson’s approval rating at an all-time low of minus 35.
The national booking system will open tomorrow to everyone aged 30 to 39, allowing them to arrange a top-up jab three months on from their second dose. The booking can be made two months after their second dose.
Dr Emily Lawson, head of the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme, said: ‘With the emergence of the new variant and the rising case numbers, there has never been a more important time to get boosted. So when it’s your turn, book in’.
The latest figures show more than 409,000 boosters were administered on Friday, meaning almost two-fifths of the population aged over 12 has now had the additional jab.
A BBC spokesman declined to comment last night.
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