Another factor at play was the fact that while Number 10 staff had continued to turn up for work throughout lockdown, other government departments and almost the entirety of the civil service were working from home, even after the return to work guidance. It created a bunker mentality in Downing Street, insiders say, that fed into the decision to have a staff drinks party on May 20.
Martin Reynolds, the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary, referenced the “incredibly busy period” staff had worked through as he invited 100 of them to “socially distanced drinks” in the Number 10 garden that day.
At the same time, Downing Street was party to information that had not yet entered the public domain.
As the following day’s Telegraph would report, six major London hospitals had recorded no Covid deaths in the previous 48 hours, suggesting that the pandemic was in full retreat in the capital.
Days earlier, on May 14, The Telegraph had revealed that Covid cases in London were down to just 24 per day (in contrast, they are currently averaging 21,603 per day). It was in the evening of that day that the Prime Minister, his fiancee Carrie, and about 17 staff were photographed in the Downing Street garden with wine and cheese, which was reported last year.
On the day of the May 20 drinks party, large crowds had gathered on beaches around the UK to enjoy the hot weather. To them, it might have been “solid British common sense” to do so. But their behaviour was frowned upon by Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary at the time, at a press conference just 55 minutes before the No 10 staff pulled the corks on their wine.
Mr Dowden told the public to “limit contact with other people” and said: “You can meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor, public place – provided that you stay two metres apart. Staying alert for the vast majority of people still means staying at home as much as possible.”
The Metropolitan Police had also, helpfully, reminded the public via Twitter that day that “you can relax, have a picnic, exercise or play sport, as long as you are: on your own, with people you live with, just you and one other person”.
Another press conference took place on May 21, the day after the drinks party, when Matt Hancock, the health secretary at the time, was asked about the possibility of garden parties to celebrate the Islamic festival of Eid.
He said: “The clear answer for all faiths is people will have to adapt the celebrations around the current social distancing rules, and everybody knows what those rules are and they remain the same for every community.”
