A photo has emerged of former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey at a large gathering thrown by Conservative aides amid coronavirus restrictions in the run up to last Christmas.
The image, published by the Mirror on Tuesday night, shows 24 people packed in a small room at the party’s headquarters in Westminster.
Organised by Mr Bailey’s mayoral campaign team, the event took place on 14 December last year when London was under Tier 2 restrictions.
Earlier on Tuesday, he stood down from his role as chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee. He remains a member of both the committee and the assembly.
A statement from the assembly’s Conservative group said: “He does not want an unauthorised social gathering involving some former members of the London mayoral campaign team last December to distract from the committee’s important work holding the mayor of London to account.”
In the photo, several people are seen wearing party hats and raising glasses next to a table of buffet food. The billionaire Tory party donor, Nick Candy, is seen stood next to Mr Bailey.
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Under Tier 2 restrictions, Londoners were banned from mixing with other households indoors for social purposes.
Reports of the party first emerged in the Times last week.
The event took place the day before a virtual Downing Street Christmas quiz.
A photo showing the Prime Minister – who acted as quizmaster – flanked by two members of staff, one wearing tinsel and the other a Christmas hat, was revealed by the Sunday Mirror last week.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Mirror reported that a senior official had urged staff to leave No 10 through a back door following the quiz.
A source told the paper the prize for winning teams included bottles of “whatever was lying around the office”, while team names included “Professor Quiz Whitty”, “Next Slide Please” and “Hands, Face, First Place”.
