Image source, Getty Images

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will investigate a party at the Department for Education on 10 December last year, in addition to his investigation into the Downing Street party eight days later.

Susan Acland-Hood told MPs that the party, which was first revealed by the Daily Mirror last night, had been instigated by then Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to thank staff for their work.

She said about two dozen people, including herself, had attended in the department’s canteen where there were drinks and snacks, brought by staff themselves.

She told MPs on the Public Accounts Committee there will be disciplinary action if the cabinet secretary finds rules were broken.

It means there were at least three parties in Westminster under lockdown:

• The 18 December party at Downing Street
• A Christmas Quiz at Downing Street which sources told the BBC included an in-person gathering. No 10 maintains the quiz was only virtual
• The Department for Education party on 10 December

Image source, Getty Images

Today was meant to be all about England's over-40s being able to book their Covid booster vaccine via the NHS website, external- but that message has been somewhat eclipsed by the row over the Downing Street party.

The system is open a month in advance - so you can log on to look for a slot as soon as it's been two months since your second jab.

People in high risk groups in England can also book a booster now.

This expansion in the booster programme means another seven million people can book their top-up jab, amid concerns over the new Omicron variant.

The NHS in England, Wales and Scotland have said all adults will be offered a booster by the end of January - although some appointments may be later than that.

Image source, PA Media

While the UK government is said to be meeting to discuss possible measures in England, Scotland's deputy first minister has said Scotland could return to tougher restrictions if the Omicron variant spreads out of control.

John Swinney told the BBC First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had requested financial assistance from the UK government last week in case businesses had to close.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, he said he couldn't give a definitive answer on whether socialising would be restricted over Christmas.

But he said there were a "range of options" the government was considering such as extending the vaccine passport scheme, as well as returning to rules previously used.

Image source, PA Media

Boris Johnson must resign if he misled Parliament about a Christmas party at Downing Street, the Scottish Conservative leader says.

Douglas Ross says there had clearly been a party of some sort, which would have been against Covid rules.

Ross says he had been "angry, annoyed and really disappointed" at the video that emerged on Tuesday night.

He says he still had confidence in the prime minister to lead the country, but added it would be "completely unacceptable" if he was found to have misled parliament on the issue.

Ross says: "If the prime minister knew about this party last December, knew about this party last week, and was still denying it, then that is the most serious allegation.

"There is absolutely no way you can mislead parliament and think you could get off with that."

A further 131 cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in the UK, the UK Health Security Agency says.

It takes the total number of confirmed cases to 568.

There are concerns the highly-mutated coronavirus variant could evade vaccines.

Read more about Omicron here or you can watch this video on variants.

The number of people needing hospital treatment for the Omicron variant may reach at least 1,000 a day in England by the end of the year without extra restrictions being put in place, scientists advising the government have said.

The BBC has seen leaked minutes of a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) held on Tuesday.

They say the government needs to "urgently" consider the need for measures to reduce transmissions of the virus and protect the NHS from "unsustainable pressure".

The BBC understands the estimates used by Sage are based on very early preliminary data and there is much uncertainty about the scale of any future Omicron wave and its impact on hospital admissions.

But the scientists say the peak of the wave is "highly likely to be higher" than 1,000 to 2,000 Omicron admissions per day without new rules to slow the spread of rising infections.

There are currently around 680 people admitted to hospital each day with the Delta variant in England.

At the peak of the last winter wave of coronavirus, hospitals in England were admitting 3,811 people a day infected with the virus.

What's not yet clear is whether Omicron will replace infections from the older Delta variant or whether both variants will spread at the same time, at least in the short term. Scientists say that will depend on the degree to which they are infecting different groups or cohorts of people, which is not currently known.

Reality Check

During Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer highlighted cases being prosecuted at Westminster Magistrates' Court of people accused of breaching Covid restrictions last December - including by hosting parties.

How many people overall have been fined for this?

Since the start of the pandemic, the police have recorded hundreds of thousands of Covid-related incidents.

In total, 118,438 fines were issued by police in England and Wales for breaches of the rules between March 2020 and October 2021, according to data from the National Police Chiefs Council.

Of those, 371 were issued for holding gatherings of over 30 people.

These gatherings, which could include raves or house parties, were punishable with a fine of £10,000.

You can read more about the people who were fined here.

During PMQs earlier, Boris Johnson apologised for the video showing Downing Street staff joking about a Christmas Party at No 10, saying he was "furious".

But how did we get here?

Here's a summary of the key events of last December and how ministers have responded to the revelations:

Image source, Getty Images

Ministers will meet later to consider moving to the government's Covid Plan B, a government source has told the BBC.

The Covid Operations committee is expected to discuss new guidance on working from home, further rules on masks and some form of Covid certification.

It is hoped the measures could slow the spread of the Omicron variant and allow time for more booster jabs to be administered.

BBC chief political correspondent Adam Fleming says depending on the outcome of the meeting, Prime Minister Boris Johnson might hold a press conference later and Health Secretary Sajid Javid could make a statement to the Commons.

Read the full story

Ione Wells
Westminster Correspondent, BBC News

While the focus today has been on a party at Downing Street on 18 December last year, several sources have told the BBC that a separate Christmas quiz was also organised for No 10 staff that same month.

One source told the BBC that emails were sent out to everyone who worked in No 10, inviting them to the quiz and to form teams ahead of time.

They added some people didn't seem to realise "how ridiculous" it was at the time and that people came into the office that day wearing Christmas jumpers for it.

A different source said while some people joined the quiz via Zoom, others were there in person and sat in groups of six.

Multiple sources have told the BBC the quiz took place in a room used by No 10 in the Cabinet Office.

On Wednesday, Downing Street insisted the quiz was "virtual".

The Cabinet Office have been asked to comment.

Image source, ITV News

BBC Radio 5 Live has been asking listeners to share their opinions, after that video emerged showing No 10 staff joking about a lockdown Christmas party.

Pam in Nottingham lost her brother on 18 December 2020, the same day as the alleged party. She says the government is taking the electorate for "mugs".

Steve in Winchester says he's decided to cancel his Conservative Party membership after "repeated issues".

"The Dominic Cummings issue, Matt Hancock and that total embarrassment… the video that's come out is the final straw for me," Steve says.

Sandy from Thame believes the video surfacing now is "just political point-scoring".

She says the video was relevant a year ago and it was "bad taste" to hold a party at the time, but politicians were "technically working".

"Not everybody works with a glass of wine in their hand, but that's what they were doing," she says.

Image source, Getty Images

Elsewhere across Europe, it's nights out, not nights in, that are getting leaders into a fix.

In Finland, the country’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin has apologised for going clubbing after coming into close contact with a Covid-19 case.

Sanna Marin went on a night out in Helsinki on Saturday, hours after her foreign minister had tested positive.

She was initially told she did not need to isolate because she had been fully vaccinated, but later missed a text that advised her to do so.

The Social Democratic prime minister, 36, said the text message that advised her to avoid social contact was sent to her work phone, which she had left at home.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Ms Marin said she should have double-checked the guidance and used better judgement.

Read more here.

The BBC's Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg has been talking about the impact the row about the party at No 10 might have for the public.

Speaking on BBC Two's Politics Live, she says "one thing that has been very striking... is that the public has repeatedly shown very high willingness to follow rules".

She says those in government were surprised at how well people stuck to them.

The allegations of a Downing Street party make things much harder for the government to enforce any restrictions, she says.

Many people will feel differently following these allegations, she says, and Conservative MPs may be more reluctant to vote for restrictions in the future.

There are questions as to what the prime minister knew and when, and why it might be that Boris Johnson didn't know about a party taking place "under his roof".

Image source, HoC

A frenetic and and noisy PMQs ended a short time ago so here's a quick reminder of some of the key points.

Boris Johnson began by apologising for the video of No 10 staff joking about a Christmas party and said there would be an investigation into the matter.

But this was not enough for Sir Keir Starmer who said the apology raised more questions - see our summary of their exchange here.

In other points:

• SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford called for the PM to resign, saying it was the only "moral choice"
• Johnson said he was "going to get on with the job" instead
• One of his own MPs, William Wragg, pointed to media reports the government could be preparing to move to Plan B of coronavirus restrictions and suggested that "very few will be convinced by this diversionary tactic"
• The PM said no decisions would be taken without consulting cabinet
• Labour MP Catherine West asked if there had been a party on 13 November in Downing Street, to which the prime minister said "no" and added that he was sure that whatever happened guidance was followed
• A&E doctor Rosena Allin-Khan, a Labour MP, said that hosting a party was an insult to those who followed the rules and were not able to say their final goodbye, she then asked "how does the prime minister sleep at night?"
• Johnson responded by saying he takes full responsibility for everything the government has done and says the country needs to focus "on the position we are in"

Ione Wells
Westminster Correspondent, BBC News

The prime minister couldn't duck this grilling about footage that emerged last night showing aides laughing about a Downing Street Christmas party - unlike his colleagues who were meant to do the broadcast rounds today.

In it, he made a few promises - he said "of course" Downing Street would support the police and CPS by handing over everything the government knows about parties in Downing Street to the Metropolitan Police.

He also said an investigation would take place into the reports of a party, and disciplinary action would be taken if anyone at the party was found to have broken the rules.

A lot of promises from the prime minister there - but if he wants the spotlight to shift from this story his critics will want much more tangible action.

Some SNP and Labour MPs have also called on Boris Johnson to resign, and there are Conservative MPs and aides very frustrated too at how No 10 has handled this.

Image source, HoC

Another point of order was made in the Commons by the new shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, asking if the Speaker has any idea whether there will be a statement on Covid restrictions or not.

The Labour MP says statements should be made to the house first - an ongoing row between the speaker and ministers - and warns the government "not to abuse that trust".

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle says a statement has not been requested but he remains "open" to one.

He adds that "this chamber is where statements are made", and to make them to the press first "goes against the ministerial code".

Hoyle says: "I don't want to fall out with the prime minister but it is not a good way of getting Christmas cards between us."

During PMQs, Labour MP Catherine West asked if there was a party in Downing Street on 13th November.

This was the day former adviser Dominic Cummings left his post working for the Prime Minister. The Mirror, external has claimed that Boris Johnson spoke at a "leaving do" on that date.

Boris Johnson said "no, but I'm sure that whatever happened the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times".

After PMQs, SNP leader Ian Blackford raises a point of order and says people feel "revulsion" about the reports of lockdown breaches at Downing Street.

He says there are "authoritative reports" of three different Downing Street parties during lockdown, including one in the PM's flat itself.

Blackford asks what opposition parties have to do to "make sure the prime minister takes responsibility for his breach of trust" and again calls for the PM to resign.

The Speaker says it is not for him to rule on something that may have taken place in Downing Street.

Image source, HoC

Labour MP and A&E doctor Rosena Allin-Khan says that "thousands of people" wished loved ones a Merry Christmas from the side of the road outside care homes in 2020.

She says she "wept behind my mask" as children on a FaceTime call begged their mother to wake up as she died from Covid.

Hosting a party "is an insult to everyone who followed the rules... to everyone who wasn't allowed to say their final goodbye," she says.

She asks, "how does the prime minister sleep at night?"

Boris Johnson says he "shares and understands her grief" and thanks her for her service in the NHS.

"If you ask me how I sleep at night, of course, I take full responsibility for everything this government has done," he states.

The country and government "need to focus on the position we are in" and to focus on getting people vaccinated.

Her question is the last of PMQs, and the session finishes.

Conservative MP William Wragg uses his question to take a dig at the prime minister.

He points to media reports that the government could be preparing to move to its Plan B for Covid measures, including the introduction of mandatory vaccine passports for venues.

Wragg says the passports "will not increase the uptake of the vaccine, but will create a segregated society".

He then asks if the PM is aware that "very few will be convinced by this diversionary tactic?"

After a loud "oooooh" from MPs, Johnson merely says: "No decisions will be taken without consulting the cabinet."