If you thought a government minister claiming that Boris Johnson was “ambushed with a cake” was going to pass without any sort of response on social media, you were wrong.
Twitter has been having a field day after Tory MP Conor Burns responded to claims that the prime minister reportedly attended a surprise birthday party in No.10′s cabinet room back in June 2020, and was presented with a cake by then-fiancée Carrie Johnson.
After he told Channel 4 News that the PM “was in a sense ambushed with a cake”, social media was awash with jokes and memes – but our favourites have undoubtedly been the ones illustrated by iconic pop and hun culture moments.
The “cake ambushing” has been parodied with clips involving everyone from Coronation Street’s Deirdre Barlow to Celebrity Big Brother’s Lauren Harries, while it also put some in mind of a certain moment from political comedy The Thick Of It.
As the nation awaits the release of Sue Gray’s full report into partygate, the agony and anticipation was also summed up with some classic clips – including ones courtesy of Delia Smith, Mariah Carey and Nikki Grahame.
And there were also some pretty inspired memes about what could happen when it is finally published...
The latest allegation of a Downing Street party emerged earlier this week, with claims the PM’s now-wife Carrie arranged a surprise event in the Cabinet Room with up to 30 people present.
Invitees allegedly included interior designer Lulu Lytle, who was not a member of a member of Downing Street staff, but was decorating the prime minister’s flat (the centre of a different No.10 scandal).
No.10 has not denied this gathering took place but claimed it was just Downing Street staff who “gathered briefly”, and Johnson was only present for 10 minutes.
Gray’s inquiry into allegations of numerous parties and gatherings in Whitehall and Downing Street when Covid restrictions were in place is expected to be made public on Wednesday or Thursday.
On Tuesday, Scotland Yard chief Dame Cressida Dick announced a police inquiry was being carried out, based in part on evidence obtained by the Gray investigation.