Michael Gove has apologised after a video emerged of Conservative Party staff having a party during Covid lockdown in December 2020.
Two of the people at the party were last week handed honours by Boris Johnson.
Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, Gove said the behaviour was “terrible” and had been “completely out of order”.
“I just want to apologise to everyone really who, looking at that image, will think well these are people who are flouting the rules that were put in place to protect us all,” he said.
The Daily Mirror published the video on Saturday, filmed in Conservative Campaign Headquarters on December 14, 2020.
In the film, people can be seen drinking and dancing. One man can be heard to say of the fact it is being filmed: “As long as we are not streaming that we’re, like, bending the rules.”
At the time London was under tier 2 restrictions which banned people from socialising indoors.
The party was held by the campaign team for Shaun Bailey, who at the time was the Tory candidate for London mayor.
Police previously investigated the event when a still image emerged but no fines were issues.
Bailey is not seen in the video but he was pictured in the photograph. He was handed a peerage by Johnson in his controversial resignation honours list.
Ben Mallet - who is seen in the video - ran Bailey’s campaign and was given an OBE.
He now is the campaign manager for Moz Hossain, who hopes to be the Tory London mayoral candidate in 2024.
Asked if both Lord Bailey and Mallet should be stripped of their honours, Gove said the current process meant Rishi Sunak should not interfere in who Johnson wanted to give honours to.
“You have to follow the current rules,” he said.“It’s for Boris to defend his choice of peers.”
It comes after Johnson quit parliament in anger after the privileges committee found he lied to parliament about partygate.