UK: Boris Johnson and wife 'hosted friend' during Covid restrictions to discuss wedding festivities

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie hosted a close friend who helped them plan their wedding when Covid restrictions were in place, a Guardian report has claimed.

The report claims that the husband-wife metDixie Maloney, a corporate events organiser, at their mansion on May 7, 2021, when indoor gatherings between different households were prohibited.Maloney informally helped the couple plan the wedding which took place three weeks later in the Downing Street garden.

At the time, Carrie was pregnant with the couple’s second child, who was born in December that year. The Tory leader's spokesperson said Maloney's stay at the mansion was 'entirely lawful' as she was there for childcare reasons at the time.

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“This was entirely lawful, and it was covered by relevant provisions in the Covid regulations. To suggest otherwise is totally untrue.”

Johnson has been under heavy scrutiny since it was first revealed that he openly flouted Covid rules that stopped ordinary folks from meeting their ill friends, and relatives or even attending funeral activities. Indoor gatherings were only allowed if they were“reasonably necessary” for work purposes, informal childcare or to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person.

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Quizzed about the meeting and its lawfulness, Maloney's spokesperson said she took proper precautions, even though she was not formally hired for any work by the Johnsons.

“Ms Maloney took her obligations under the relevant Covid restrictions very seriously. She would not have done anything at the relevant time unless she honestly believed that it was lawful to do so.”

“Ms Maloney has never been formally engaged to work for either Boris or Carrie Johnson, nor has she ever held any public role, whether in government or otherwise.”

Maloney's meeting with the former PM is one of the 12 gatherings that took place at Chequers and Downing Street, currently being investigated by two police forces.

The 'Partygate' scandal

The Johnson government was slammed for organising several parties at Downing Street when such gatherings were banned across the country during the lockdown.

The 58-year-old was ousted as prime minister last summer following a revolt within his party over several allegations, which he denies.

“None of them constitute a breach of the rules during Covid. They weren’t during lockdown. They were during other periods of the restrictions. None of them constitute a breach of the rules. None of them involve socialising. It is total nonsense," Johsnon said, defending himself.

Johnson was fined by police for attending an event in Downing Street to celebrate his birthday in June 2020.

A parliamentary committee is currently investigating if he willfully or negligently misled the House of Commons in a series of speeches in which he claimed no regulations were broken during the gatherings.

(With inputs from agencies)

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