6 telltale signs Boris Johnson's No.10 garden gathering was party NOT business meeting

Just days after the latest damaging allegations about the government's multiple Christmas office parties, a new picture has raised anger once again that those in power weren't following the very rules they put in place.

The image, taken in May 2020 when England was still in full lockdown, shows Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and a number of Downing Street aides drinking wine and spirits and eating cheese in the garden of Number 10.

At the time, park benches were still being taped off preventing people from sitting down, and grieving mourners were being told to stay apart during funerals.

Since the Guardian 's picture emerged over the weekend, Mr Johnson's official spokesman has claimed Downing Street staff were working in the garden in the afternoon and evening. Restrictions at the time prevented more than two people from different households meeting outside, and only then at a distance of two metres.

However, Johnson's own deputy Dominic Raab today let slip that the drinks came at the end of the working day, before backtracking and claiming the "rules were followed".

Here, body language expert Judi James analyses the giveaway signs this garden getaway was more than just a business meeting...

Reasons why this looks like a party

1. Wine bottles and wine glasses. Who drinks anything but coffee or mint tea at business meetings? Whatever they are drinking, the actions of quaffing it look blatant and sociable rather than furtive. If some lower ranks had snuck some booze out to drink while they were working, you’d expect closer huddles or even a line of backs between the group and their bosses. These glasses are being held high to some of their bodies though, signalling open enjoyment.
   
   
2. The pecking order. Boris is clearly adopting the alpha position here, with his two sidekicks creating a ‘shield’ between him and the rest of the group. As leader of a working gathering you might expect him to be more central to the action. If he’s holding his own meeting of four at the upper table then he is adopting a pose that suggests he is talking and listening exclusively to Carrie.
   
   
3. The body language of the sidekicks. The dynamics of Boris’s table looks more about chatting than holding a meeting or workplace discussion. Why? The guy next to Boris is using some overkill gesticulation to make his point, raising both hands to the skies in what, at a business meeting, would look like the gesture of someone explaining visionary thought or ideas. At a meeting he might expect some focus from the boss for this sort of ritual, but Boris appears to ignore him and only the relaxed guy opposite looks engaged in the conversation, suggesting it’s just a relaxed but animated chat.
   
   
   
   
4. The group round the table. Are those bottles on the table? If so, it is making it look like the spot people gravitate towards at a party. There is one tall guy clearly holding court here while the others listen, smiling or laughing. Some even have their arms folded to listen, when in a career-competitive environment like No10, with the boss clearly in sight, you might expect more evenly animated body language to suggest everyone is participating in some sort of business discussion or think-tank scenario. Very few employees would stand working in sight of their boss without trying to at least look as though they were working hard.
   
   
5. The group formations and spacing. We have five people talking round the table and another three talking in a group a small distance away. Business groups can split into break-away groups but they will usually stand at a greater distance to avoid distracting each other. This looks more like social group behaviour. There also appears to be two people sitting on the grass, gazing about. Working in this position might be challenging but they don’t even look particularly engaged in any in-depth, head-to-head discussion.
   
   
6. The lack of props. Where are the laptops, tablets, flip charts and all the other tools of business you’d expect to see at most business meetings? This type of grouping would normally define a creative, ideas-based meeting, which would normally involve a facilitator with each group logging all the fantastic ideas being thrown around. Working outside on the lawn might normally entail the provision of more chairs, too. Business meetings can go on for hours.

Why it might not be a party

1. Boris is looking detached, with his leg and his hand raised in a cut-off ritual, and even rather bored, when we have in the past seen him looking more like a ‘life and soul of’ party animal.
   
   
2. The four people at the table that is nearest to Boris are sitting in a way that could suggest ‘meeting’ rather than ‘party’. Three of them appear to be listening politely to the fourth, using closed or self-diminished body language while he is splayed in a way that suggests higher power or status.