Gavin Williamson hosted a Christmas party while students were being blamed for the pandemic

Remember Gavin Williamson? He was the former education minister who had a pet tarantula and confused Maro Itoje with Marcus Rashford. Well, he’s back with yet another cock-up. A Christmas party-shaped cock-up.

It turns out that, just as the Prime Minister allegedly hosted a boozy “cheese and wine” night at No.10 last Christmas, Gavin Williamson and the Department of Education held a separate “drinks and canapés” event.

At the time, London was in tier 2, banning different households from mixing, while other uni cities like Leeds were in tier 3, where hospitality venues were closed.

Basically, students up and down the country were being blamed for spikes in infection rates, while the education secretary was living it up in London.

At the party, the ex-education secretary gave a speech as onlookers chinned glasses of wine, with one source telling The Mirror: “There were lots of people gathered in the cafe area, mingling and drinking wine. It was just so reckless.”

Another source said: “He hosted a drinks do when people were considering whether they could spend Christmas with their families.”

While the Department of Education didn’t deny that Covid rules were broken, they conceded that “it would have been better” to have not held the event.

Around the time of the party, December 10th, students were gearing up to go home for Christmas, being told to test, isolate and return home in a “travel window,” all with a view to keeping loved ones safe.

While government guidance specifically stated that people should not host Christmas parties, Gavin’s big blowout is merely the most recent revelation in what is becoming a developing scandal.

The Mirror revealed that a Christmas party took place at No.10 Downing Street last December, where Boris Johnson others exchanged Secret Santa gifts and drank wine.

It has since emerged that then-No.10 press secretary Allegra Stratton joked about the event in a rehearsed press conference.

In response to the video, No. 10 said: “There was no Christmas party. Covid rules have been followed at all times.”

Featured image credit: Background: Unsplash. Foreground: Bart Lenoir/Shutterstock

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