The committee is also likely to be interested in Abba’s so-called “Winner Takes It All” party, which allegedly took place on November 13, five months after the June 19 anniversary.
The Telegraph understands that a first draft of the Gray report contained a reference to officials who claimed to have heard songs by Abba sounding from the Prime Minister’s apartment the night Dominic Cummings, Mr. Johnson’s assistant chief, and Lee Cain, its communications director, left.
A person questioned by Mrs Gray said: “I told both her and the Met police that I heard music from Abba coming from the 11th floor that night. At least three other people told her the same thing, but , although we provided this information, no one ever followed. “
A source familiar with the early drafts said Abba’s musical reference had been there, but “it hadn’t been very detailed.”
Text message revelation
Ms. Johnson sent messages on June 19, 2020, a few hours after the birthday party in the Cabinet Room, for which Mr. Johnson was fined, along with Ms. Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the United States. ‘Treasury.
The messages appear to show a second meeting inside his apartment. At the time of the alleged incident, Covid’s blocking rules were clear: they prohibit more than two people from meeting indoors unless for work reasons.
In the afternoon act inside her apartment, Mrs. Johnson was supposed to have been in the company of at least two friends, both special advisers. But Ms. Johnson had no formal position in government and it is not known what the purpose of the job might be.
Messages exchanged at 6:15 p.m. According to sources, it was common for such messages to be sent, informing Mrs Johnson without reasoning of the Prime Minister’s movements. Ms. Johnson, according to the Sunday Times, responded that “she was already there and suggested she was with an unspecified number of male friends.”
It is unclear what precise words Mrs. Johnson’s message contained, but according to sources familiar with the messages, she replied, “Great. I’m already here with gays.”
The term, used affectionately, refers to a small circle of gay and male friends with whom Mrs. Johnson is close. The assertion of the use of this language is consistent with a report in February from a Downing Street employee quoted by Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges. He wrote: “She [Mrs Johnson] I would say, ‘I’m with the gays on the floor. Can you go up? It was thought of as an affectionate nickname. “
The existence of the texts was made known in the Gray research in January. But now, it gets complicated.
The aide refused to forward the messages, but said they were ready to go to the cabinet office and show them in person to the investigation officials. The aide also said that they agreed to supply them to the Metropolitan Police, which at the time had announced that it was initiating its own criminal investigation.
The Cabinet Office has challenged this version of events. A source in the cabinet office said: “The individual did not offer to take the messages to the cabinet office, so there was no possibility that the investigation team would read them.”
The aide has now written to Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, to present with him “some of the evidence I provided in the Gray and Met report that I think is important.” It includes the attachment of an email sent to Gray’s consultation in January stating that they had “messages indicating that there was a social gathering on the Prime Minister’s flat that evening.”