Worcester wedding planner blasts Government over allegged No 10 Christmas party
Laura Randles' business was significantly impacted during lockdown
Last updated 9th Dec 2021
A wedding planner from Worcester has blasted the Government over an alleged Christmas party which took place at Downing Street during lockdown last year.
It's claimed the party took place on December 8 last year where dozens of people reportedly attended.
But at the time strict lockdown restrictions banned such events.
The wedding industry was one of the first to close and the last to re-open during the pandemic with thousands of jobs lost as a result.
"The Government is gaslighting the nation"
Laura Randles, owner of Stuido 81 Events, said: "People who had worked for years to build up their businesses had completely lost them and this point.
"So they were sat at Christmas having had the worst year of their lives whilst members of our Government felt it was appropriate to hold a cheese and wine "meeting" with party games.
"It's just so immoral. If you are going to set rules then surely the building in which those rules were set should follow them to a T."
Yesterday, a video obtained by ITV emerged showing senior No 10 staff joking about holding a Christmas party just days after it was claimed one was held there during lockdown.
"People in the wedding industry are broken"
Allegra Stretton, the prime ministers then press secretary, appeared to joke about the party during a news conference rehearsal.
During Wednesday's PMQ's, Boris Johnson apologised for the video saying he was "sickened" by it but still denies any party took place.
He told the House of Commons that a full inquiry will take place and any rule-breakers will be punished.
Laura added: "What they are doing now is essentially gaslighting the entire nation by saying "what you've just seen isn't what you've just seen - you're wrong and we're right" "
"So i do believe that the police should investigate this further because I think they have a duty to follow up on the complaints.
"The wedding industry now - we're broken people because of what's happened.
"And we've also now just had to do 18 months of work in 5 and a half months because that's all we've been allowed to do and that's what we have to do not just because of earnings but ebcause couples desperately want to get married."