How can Sir Bernard Jenkin stay silent after lockdown drinks party?

How can Sir Bernard Jenkin still stay silent after fellow MP says sorry for his wife’s lockdown drinks party?

• Meanwhile, Tory MP Virginia Crosbie has become first attendee to break cover

Bernard Jenkin was yesterday under mounting pressure to come clean about an alleged lockdown-busting party after a fellow MP admitted being at the bash was an ‘error’.

One of Boris Johnson’s leading inquisitors over Partygate, Sir Bernard has remained silent for nearly two weeks in the face of questions about the celebration of his wife’s birthday in December 2020.

Tory MP Virginia Crosbie has now become the first attendee to break cover. The event was advertised as jointly marking the birthdays of Ms Crosbie and Anne Jenkin, the baroness wife of Sir Bernard.

Ms Crosbie, who was parliamentary private secretary to then-health secretary Matt Hancock, said: ‘The invitation for this event was not sent out by me. I attended the event briefly, I did not drink and I did not celebrate my birthday. I went home shortly after to be with my family.

‘I apologise unreservedly for a momentary error of judgement in attending the event.’

No comment: Bernard Jenkin pictured alongside his wife Anne 

Also no comment: Maria Miller, former culture secretary

It piles more pressure on Sir Bernard because Ms Crosbie’s admission that her attendance was ‘an error of judgement’ suggests rules were potentially broken.

Scotland Yard yesterday said it was still ‘assessing’ information it had received about the event. 

Last week Sir Bernard voted in favour of the Commons privileges committee report he co-authored that condemned Mr Johnson’s statements to parliament over Downing Street gatherings during lockdown, all but ending the former premier’s parliamentary career.

This was despite Sir Bernard himself facing a police probe over his attendance at his wife’s ‘birthday drinks’ bash in December 2020, which took place in the Westminster office of Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing. 

Dame Eleanor, Sir Bernard and Baroness Jenkin maintained their silence again yesterday after requests from the Mail for comment.

Others said to have attended, including former culture secretary Maria Miller and Tory MP Miriam Cates, also remained silent.

Sources with knowledge of the gathering claim alcohol and cake were on offer, that at least ten people attended, and that social distancing ‘went out of the window’. 

At the time, socialising indoors was against England’s Covid regulations. An ally of Sir Bernard has claimed he believed it was a ‘work event’. 

The Conservative MP Miriam Cates who has not commented

No comment: The Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing 

‘I apologise’: Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie

But an invitation sent by Baroness Jenkin via WhatsApp described the planned bash as a ‘birthday drinks’ party for ‘a few of our favourite people next Wednesday 8th [2020] 6.30 to 7.30 in Eleanor Laing’s conference room’.

When the Mail caught up with Sir Bernard last week he refused to answer any questions about the Westminster event.

On Monday it emerged that Baroness Jenkin may have attended a second potentially lockdown-busting ‘party’. 

She held a bash to celebrate the 15th anniversary of co-founding the Women2Win group just two weeks before her ‘birthday drinks’.

Scotland Yard said yesterday: ‘It remains accurate to say officers are “assessing” the information.’

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