Cabinet secretary Simon Case should provide “urgent” answers about “unprecedented” allegations that No 10 staff were pressured to delete evidence of illegal parties in Downing Street, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said.
Her letter to the top civil servant comes after after two sources told The Independent they had been advised by a senior staff member to “clean up” their phones of anything that could “look like a party”, and follows a series of fresh revelations this week.
No 10 was forced to apologise to Buckingham Palace on Friday after reports of two parties held on the eve of Prince Philip’s socially-distanced funeral, while a further report alleged that regular “wine time Friday” gatherings continued in Downing Street despite coronavirus restrictions.
In a bid to save his premiership, in the face of exclusive polling indicating that 70 per cent of voters believe he should resign, the prime minister has launched “Operation Save Big Dog” – drawing up a list of officials who could offer their resignation after Sue Gray publishes the findings of her inquiry into the matter, The Independent understands.
