Partygate: Constant photo leaks ‘designed’ to bring Boris Johnson down, minister suggests

‘The constant leaking is clearly designed for a purpose’, says defence secretary

Boris Johnson’s enemies are plotting to bring him down with a “constant” leak of Downing Street party photos, cabinet minister Ben Wallace has suggested.

The PM is under more pressure after the Metropolitan Police said inquiries would be widened to cover a No 10 quiz night, after a photo emerged of Mr Johnson and colleagues near a bottle of bubbly.

The defence secretary acknowledged that more pictures of alleged rule-breaking events in Downing Street could emerge at any time.

“The constant leaking is clearly designed for a purpose,” Mr Wallace told Times Radio, suggesting some were conspiring against Mr Johnson by sharing photos.

He said: “Yes, there could be a photograph tomorrow, the next day or the day after – that’s clearly what’s behind some of the people’s motives.”

Mr Wallace added: “How accurate they are, how much they are put in the right context, that’s what the police will find out.”

Mr Johnson’s former strategist-turned-nemesis said on Wednesday that there were “way worse” photos of gatherings, suggested that further pictures exist of an alleged “Abba party” held in Mr Johnson’s Downing Street flat.

It will raise fears among the prime minister’s team over the possible “drip drip” of damaging evidence emerging as the Met police probe proceeds and Tory MPs considering submitting no-confidence letters.

Before the end of the week, officers from Operation Hillman will begin contacting more than 50 people thought to have been involved in No 10 and Whitehall gatherings which are under investigation.

Mr Wallace was not clear whether Mr Johnson will tell the public if and when he receives a police questionnaire over alleged Covid breaches.

He told the Today programme: “The prime minister has said he will be full and transparent. He will notify if he is receiving either any form of fine etc, but he’s also said he will publish the Sue Gray report in full.”

The defence secretary denied Labour’s claim that the Partygate scandal was weakening the prime minister’s standing on the international stage at a crucial time. He said it was “absolutely the case” that Britain is recognised as “a serious player”.

Meanwhile, Mr Wallace said Britain is putting another 1,000 troops on stand-by to go to eastern Europe in order to prove to Russia that Nato is “not flaky”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “What this is really about is saying to president Putin, ‘Nato is not flaky. Nato will stand by its members, big or small’.”

Mr Wallace said the troops could end up in any Nato country where there are consequences of an invasion of Ukraine including the Baltic states, Poland, Romania and Nordic nations.

He said the British troops would provide “resilience” and “reassurance” and not to fight a war with Russia. “We’re not going deploying them, first and foremost, to war fight,” he told BBC Breakfast.