‘Party Marty’ is ‘deeply sorry’ for organising lockdown-breaking BYOB party, Covid inquiry hears

The Covid inquiry has entered a significant week, with evidence shedding unforgiving insight into what went on in Boris Johnson’s government during the pandemic.

Among those giving evidence on Monday is Martin Reynolds, dubbed “Party Marty” after an email he wrote inviting over 100 Downing Street staff to a “bring your own booze” gathering during the first lockdown became public.

In revealed WhatsApp messages, Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, accused Boris Johnson of changing “strategic direction every day,” and described the former PM is “weak and indecisive”.

Hugo Keith KC also said that Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary at the time, wrote a report in May 2020 which described “dysfunctionality, lack of discipline, chaos, and a significant degree of misogyny” in how meetings were run and decisions were made during the pandemic.

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