Video emerges of Tory staff partying during Covid

A video has emerged showing some Conservative Party workers drinking and dancing at a Christmas party during the Covid pandemic.

In the video, published by the Mirror website, one person can be heard saying: "As long as we don't stream that we're, like, bending the rules."

The paper says the video sheds new light on a party that police had previously looked into.

The Conservatives said disciplinary action had already been taken.

The video, taken at the Conservative party's headquarters in Westminster, was from December 2020 when London was in Tier 2 restrictions.

This meant people were banned from socialising indoors, except with members of their household or a support bubble.

Police investigated the event last year and no fines were issued.

Shaun Bailey, who is now about to take up a seat in the House of Lords, was running for London mayor in December 2020.

During this time, members of his campaign team attended this gathering inside the Tory party's HQ.

The event has been reported before, but only still photographs were published by the Daily Mirror at the time. Although Mr Bailey was photographed surrounded by party workers in those images, he is not seen in this newly-obtained video.

The Conservative Party said four people seconded to Mr Bailey's campaign were disciplined.

Mr Bailey was given a peerage in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list.

In the 45-second video on the Mirror website, people can be seen drinking and standing in groups, while a man and a woman can be seen holding hands and dancing.

Labour's Angela Rayner said the attendees had "openly mocked" the rules of Covid pandemic.

"The Tories think it's one rule for them and one rule for everyone else," added the deputy leader.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper Tory MPs and ministers should be "sick to their stomachs" seeing this new footage.

"While families grieved and NHS staff worked on the front line, Conservative Campaign Headquarters partied."

The Metropolitan Police have not yet responded to the new video footage.