Dominic Cummings claims Boris Johnson lied to MPs about party

Dominic Cummings has accused Boris Johnson of lying to parliament about a Downing Street garden party at the height of the first lockdown,

The former aide claimed he told the Prime Minister directly that the event on May 20, 2020 should not go ahead, telling him “You’ve got to get a grip of this madhouse.”

He said that Johnson “waved" those concerns aside.

Last week, the Prime Minister told MPs he believed the “socially distanced drinks” were a “work event.”

He said: “When I went into that garden just after 6pm on May 20, 2020, to thank groups of staff, before going back into my office 25 minutes later to continue working, I believed implicitly that this was a work event. But Mr Speaker, with hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside.”

In an updated blog post, Cummings also said that he and another senior official told Martin Reynolds, Johnson’s principal private secretary, who had sent an email inviting around staff to the drinks. 

Cummings said a second senior official also warned the Prime Minister about the party. “The events of May 20 alone, never mind the string of other events, mean the PM lied to parliament about parties,” he said.

The ex-official - who was formerly Johnson's most senior adviser - said he would be prepared to give evidence under oath.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford called for Johnson to come back to the Commons.

The garden party and other events in Whitehall are currently being investigated by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant.