"It wasn’t a formal party but perhaps in hindsight it wasn’t the most sensible thing to do,” a source saidTreasury staff held a lockdown drinks party to celebrate Rishi Sunak's spending review, it has been revealed. Some staff who worked on the 2020 autumn spending review had office drinks while England was under lockdown restrictions. A Treasury spokesman said: "A number of HMT staff came into the office to work on the Spending Review 2020. We have been made aware that a small number of staff had impromptu drinks around their desks after the event. Government chief whip Mark Spencer insisted Downing Street staff "were not drinking alcohol" and partying during Covid restrictions after it emerged the Prime Minister's press chief addressed staff at one event last Christmas.

Source: The Times December 11, 2021 16:08 UTC