British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing further accusations of breaking Covid-19 rules after it was revealed that a birthday gathering for him was held inside No 10 Downing Street during the first national lockdown.
His office said staff had only “gathered briefly” in the Cabinet room after a meeting, but a report from ITV News suggested up to 30 people attended "a birthday party" where guests were served cake.
The broadcaster suggested Mr Johnson's wife Carrie organised the surprise get-together, complete with a chorus of “Happy Birthday”, on the afternoon of June 19, 2020, when indoor social mixing was banned.
The latest allegations added to a torrid day for Mr Johnson as he continued to weather the "partygate" storm engulfing Downing Street.
On Tuesday London's Metropolitan Police force announced a criminal investigation into the party allegations in No 10.
As he awaits the release of senior civil servant Sue Gray's inquiry into the alleged No 10 lockdown parties, the prime minister's authority suffered a further blow on Monday with the resignation of Conservative minister Lord Agnew.
Lord Agnew of Oulton, who had been the minister for efficiency and transformation, resigned at Parliament's despatch box and marched out of the House of Lords in protest over the party’s “schoolboy” handling of fraudulent Covid-19 business loans.
Ms Gray's report is expected this week with Mr Johnson's fate as prime minister hanging in the balance.
Earlier on June 19, 2020, Mr Johnson was given a birthday cake by pupils and staff on a visit to Bovingdon Primary Academy in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, to mark turning 56.
Lulu Lytle, the interior designer behind lavish renovations of his No 10 flat, briefly attended Mr Johnson's birthday celebrations while undertaking work in Downing Street, the Press Association reported.
“A group of staff working in No 10 that day gathered briefly in the Cabinet room after a meeting to wish the prime minister a happy birthday. He was there for less than 10 minutes,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
ITV News also reported that later that evening family friends were hosted upstairs to further celebrate the prime minister’s 56th birthday in his official residence.
“This is totally untrue," No 10 said. "In line with the rules at the time, the prime minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening."
Soane Britain, the luxury design group, said its co-founder Ms Lytle was “present in Downing Street on June 19 working on the refurbishment”, the funding of which has been the subject of investigations.
“Lulu was not invited to any birthday celebrations for the prime minister as a guest,” a spokeswoman said.
“Lulu entered the Cabinet room briefly as requested, while waiting to speak with the prime minister.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is among those said to have joined the celebrations, Sky News reported.
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer said the latest revelations were “yet more evidence that we have got a prime minister who believes that the rules that he made don’t apply to him”.
“The prime minister is a national distraction and he’s got to go,” the Labour leader said.
As Mr Johnson faced a new round of calls to resign, Environment Secretary George Eustice said the latest claims about a birthday party in Downing Street “have gone slightly over the top”.
He claimed a small group of staff brought in a birthday cake for the prime minister at the end of a day’s work and spent 10 minutes celebrating.
“I don’t think that really constitutes a party in the way that some of the more serious allegation would,” Mr Eustice told ITV News.
The broadcaster said that picnic food from Marks & Spencer was eaten during the afternoon gathering, which lasted up to 30 minutes, while Ms Johnson and Ms Lytle presented him with a cake.
Martin Reynolds, Mr Johnson’s under-fire principal private secretary, was also said to have attended.
During an interview with Sky News, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps appeared to play down the latest party allegations, saying the gathering took place “during a period of relaxed rules”.
He said Ms Gray was aware of the birthday party, one of a string of alleged gatherings she is investigating.
“Just to be clear, the prime minister clearly didn’t organise to be given a cake,” Mr Shapps said. “Some people thought it would be appropriate on his birthday.”
He suggested the gathering abided by lockdown rules because it took place in an office where workers were required to be.
He rebuffed questions about why the interior designer had attended the birthday given that she was not a member of Downing Street staff. “She was in the building, of course," Mr Shapps said.
But he said he did not seek to defend the party and he was “furious” with anyone who had broken the rules.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, a staunch ally of Mr Johnson, questioned whether the gathering would have broken the rules in place at the time.
“So, when people in an office buy a cake in the middle of the afternoon for someone else they are working in the office with and stop for 10 minutes to sing happy birthday and then go back to their desks, this is now called a party?” she tweeted.
Social gatherings indoors were forbidden under lockdown laws at the time, with a relaxation of the regulations permitting up to six people to assemble outside.
About 17 allegations of rule-breaking events across Downing Street, the wider government and the Conservative Party have now been made.
Jo Goodman, co-founder of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign, said she remembered June 19 “vividly”, as it was the day before what would have been her father’s 73rd birthday, had he not died with the coronavirus.
“It was a horrible time for my family but we stuck to the rules, not even being able to hug to comfort each other,” she said.
“It’s completely sickening that the prime minister spent the evening sharing cake with 30 friends indoors and though we’re not even surprised any more, it still brings fresh pain.
"Whilst dozens sang Happy Birthday to him, families couldn’t even sing in memory at their loved ones' funerals.
“Regardless of any report, the prime minister clearly needs to resign. He’s lost all credibility.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
25-MAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina, Abdullahi Shehu, Chidozie Awaziem, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi
Midfielders: John Obi Mikel, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, John Ogu
Forwards: Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Odion Ighalo, Alexander Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Paul Onuachu, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Chukwueze
On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai, Bryan Idowu, Ikouwem Utin, Mikel Agu, Junior Ajayi, Valentine Ozornwafor
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
