79. In written evidence Mr Johnson stated:
I do not recollect seeing or hearing anything that could be described as a party. I do not recollect seeing anyone detectably under the influence of alcohol or hearing anything from my flat. As I have said, I was working and my mind was decisively elsewhere.[1]
80. Referring to claims that there were regular Friday night “Press Office gatherings”, Mr Johnson stated that:
I accept that I could see into the Press Office on my way to the flat, although my attention is often elsewhere when I am returning to the flat. Although I cannot recall any specific occasions, I may well have seen groups of people in the Press Office when going up to my flat. There would be nothing unusual or untoward about that. They were consistently working late during the Covid-19 pandemic and regularly would meet on Friday evenings to discuss and debrief the events of the week, where wine would be available. I did not ever hear anything from my flat from the Press Office.[2]
81. When giving oral evidence Mr Johnson was asked, in relation to the gathering on 18 December, whether he was unaware of “the noise or the event taking place”. He replied:
Absolutely. If I had looked, what I would have seen, I am sure, was people doing a huge amount of work on a very, very busy evening. Now, I didn’t look. I certainly have no memory of seeing any kind of party or illicit gathering going on in the press room on that evening. The first I heard about this–the first I knew about it–was when it was brought to my attention by Jack Doyle almost a year later.[3]
82. We note that Mr Johnson himself, in private WhatsApp messages sent to his then press secretary Jack Doyle on 7 December 2021 and submitted to us, uses the term “party” in relation to the gathering on 18 December 2020. Mr Johnson’s lawyers informed us on his behalf that:
In these messages, Mr Doyle and the Prime Minister refer to [No. 10 official] talking about “the party”, however they only do so as shorthand, because that is what the event is being called in the media. It is not a concession that the Prime Minister believed a “party” or any kind of illicit or unauthorised gathering had taken place.[4]
83. Mr Johnson argues that he heard nothing from his flat, nor did he see anyone “detectably under the influence of alcohol”, but it is not claimed that he did. Mr Johnson asserts that he did not observe what was going on as he passed the entrance to the Press Office, because his “mind was decisively elsewhere” and “my attention is often elsewhere when I am returning to the flat”. This may have been the case, but it is in our view not a credible reason why he would not have observed the gathering. Given the evidence we have received that between 25 and 40 people attended the gathering, that drinking began at 5 pm and the event was “beyond desk drinks” and continued till “the
