US president Joe Biden has never been “ambushed by a cake”, his press secretary has confirmed as the controversy over Boris Johnson’s alleged rule-breaking parties gained an international audience.
On Tuesday, Biden’s top press aide, Jen Psaki, was asked during a White House press briefing about partygate – which was referred to as troubles “on the other side of the pond”.
While Psaki laughed off the initial approach and said she had not spoken to the president about the issue, the spokesperson was pressed again on the scandal against the backdrop of UK and UK concern over Russian president Vladimir Putin and his possible advances on Ukraine.
She replied: “Has the president ever been ambushed by a cake? Not that I’m aware of.”
She added: ″(Biden) is confident in the important partnership we have with the UK, the role they play in making clear to Russia the unacceptable nature of the build-up of troops and their bellicose rhetoric as it relates to Ukraine and that has not changed despite cakes in anyone’s faces.”
Earlier in the day, Johnson was dogged by uncomfortable questions about his political survival during a major press conference in Ukraine amid tensions with Russia.
Last week, a government minister supportive of Johnson said the PM was “ambushed with a cake” as the excuses for his alleged birthday party during lockdown reached a new level.
The PM’s wife Carrie reportedly arranged a surprise birthday party in Downing Street’s Cabinet Room with up to 30 people present for the prime minister on June 19, 2020.
At the time, the government’s Covid restrictions stated only six people could meet, and it had to be outdoors.
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.
Conor Burns, the Northern Ireland minister and a long-standing ally, told Channel 4 News: “It was not a premeditated, organised party in that sense, that the prime minister himself decided to have sent out ...”
Presenter Cathy Newman responded: “Well, invites were sent out.”
Burns replied: “Well, as far as I can see, he was in a sense, ambushed with a cake.”
Police officers are investigating 12 separate gatherings in No 10 and Whitehall during 2020 and 2021 – including three that Johnson is known to have attended and one in the PM’s Downing Street flat – to find out whether coronavirus lockdown laws were broken.