66 The Times Magazine
DECEMBER
© Times Newspapers Ltd, 2021. Published and licensed by Times Newspapers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF (020 7782 5000). Printed by Prinovis UK Ltd, Liverpool. Not to be sold separately.09.12 Partygate
“Downing Street
Christmas partygate
took a new turn as
leaked video footage
showed Allegra
Stratton, one of the
PM’s most senior
representatives,
joking during a mock
press conference
about the illegal
gathering. The whole
sorry affair really
highlights that we
have a mock prime
minister at the helm.”10.12 The PM’s
Christmas miracle
“The year couldn’t
have ended much
worse for Johnson.
He was fighting
fires on every front,
from illegal parties
in No 10 to sleaze
allegations after
an investigation
concluded he had
asked a Tory donor
to find extra cash
to refurbish his
Downing Street flat.
The arrival of his
and Carrie’s second
child – and his
umpteenth – arguably
couldn’t have come
at a better time.” n
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