Downing Street party held as county mourned Worcestershire nurse Jodon Gait

For the attendees of Jodon Gait's funeral, a "much loved nurse" of more than 15-years, who died after contracting Covid-19, the dry conditions meant they could line the grounds of Vale Crematorium, Pershore to deliver a guard of honour for the fallen NHS hero.

His family not able to attend, friends and colleagues at Worcestershire Royal Hospital instead stood two metres apart clutching a singular white rose as Jodon's coffin arrived for his final journey on May 19, 2020. 

FINAL JOURNEY: Friends and colleagues lined the pathway.

Matthew Jackson of Jackson Family Funeral Directors told Worcester News he would be "sending the photographs to his family to show them how important Jodon was to his fellow colleagues at the hospital".

A nurse who worked closely with Mr Gait, said: “Losing a member of our team to Covid-19 is absolutely heart-breaking. I still can’t quite believe it. 

"We see people battle it every day and it never gets easier and now it has taken a colleague.

“Rest in peace, Jodon. You were always so kind, caring and compassionate to each of your patients.

“You will be missed by us all.”

Thank you to our NHS...

Less than 24 hours later and on the day the Worcester News published touching tributes to Jodon on its front page, below, staff at Downing Street were invited to a 'bring your own booze bash' in the garden of No. 10 on May 20. 

In what was one of the most explosive of the alleged lockdown parties, an email leaked to ITV News showed more than 100 Downing Street staff were invited for drinks by Johnson’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds.

The email invited employees including advisers, speech writers and door staff to come over and “bring your own booze”.

The senior civil servant wrote: “After what has been an incredibly busy period, we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No. 10 garden this evening.”

Johnson later admitted during a damaging Prime Minister’s Questions appearance this week he attended for around “25 minutes”. 

Just five days earlier on May 15, Johnson was pictured with his wife and then chief adviser Dominic Cummings drinking wine and eating cheese as they sat in the sunshine.

The same day, former health secretary, Matt Hancock, had urged “people to stick to the rules and not take advantage of the good weather over the May weekend to socialise in groups”.

This comes as Sue Gray's report on not only these alleged breaches of public trust, but several others, is expected to be delivered later this week.

The report on which the prime minister’s future may depend will seek to 'understand' what happened amid a catalogue of allegations ranging from summer garden drinks to Christmas bashes while tough coronavirus restrictions were in place during 2020 and 2021.

According to the Institute for Government (IoG), Ms Gray’s final document is “set to be a largely factual account about parties that were held in Downing Street.”

Catherine Haddon, a senior fellow at the think tank, said the report “may not assign individual blame but might refer disciplinary action to others”.

Should Boris Johnson be worried?

The Prime Minister has put a lot of stock in the investigation and will be anxiously awaiting its findings, but it is suggested it is unlikely to pass judgment on his actions.

The IoG states that, while Ms Gray’s findings may “touch on the role of the Prime Minister”, it is not her place to “judge his behaviour”.

But Dr Haddon goes on to say that the “bare facts alone could prove deeply damaging”, including in the way the official sets them out and the language used.

It will then be for Conservative MPs and possibly Mr Johnson’s independent ethics adviser, should the Prime Minister commission a separate probe by Lord Geidt, to decide whether he broke the Ministerial Code and misled Parliament.

Mr Johnson has previously said that he has followed coronavirus guidance and, while apologising for not stopping the May 20 gathering, has told the Commons he understood it to be a “work event”.

Who will the final report go to?

It will go to the Prime Minister and No. 10 has committed to publishing it, with Mr Johnson also pledging to make a statement in the Commons.

However, deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab refused on Sunday to be drawn of whether the findings would be published in full, although he insisted there would be “full transparency”.

“The process for it will be for the Prime Minister to decide,” he said.

A full, interactive timeline of the alleged No. 10 bashes can be seen below.