Charity that auctioned Boris Johnson champagne as ‘Partygate souvenir’ apologises ‘for any offence’

Exclusive: Hertsmere MP Oliver Dowden donated item for event held at Harry Potter studios but had no knowledge of description

A charity has apologised after auctioning off a champagne bottle signed by Boris Johnson “as a souvenir of pPartygate”.

Tory MP Oliver Dowden donated the item to Hertfordshire Community Fund for an event at the Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter in Leavesden, Watford.

An image posted on Twitter showed the bottle listed in an auction catalogue alongside the description: “A bottle of champagne signed by Boris. Hugely valuable as a souvenir of partygate and the exemplary behaviour and morality of our dear leader! Donated by: Oliver Dowden CBE.”