Boris Johnson is facing further calls to resign after it emerged his staff held two leaving parties in No 10 on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral
The Telegraph reports around 30 people were drinking alcohol and dancing until the early hours
The next day, Queen Elizabeth sat alone at the funeral of her husband of 73 years, in line with social distancing rules
Downing Street has apologised to Buckingham Palace, calling the parties "deeply regrettable"
James Slack, an ex-No 10 communications chief for whom one of the parties was held, has apologised for the "anger and hurt" caused
Johnson was not at either gathering, but it comes after it emerged several other parties were held at No 10 when Covid restrictions limited social mixing
Opponents are calling for the PM to step down and a small but growing number of Conservatives are publicly echoing this
It's the end of another busy news day for our live reporting team - thank you for joining us.
Updates were written by Becky Morton, Chris Giles, Jennifer Meierhans and Nathan Williams.
The page was edited by Hamish Mackay and Holly Wallis.
From all of us, have a good evening.
We're coming to the end of our live coverage of the Downing Street lockdown party saga and other coronavirus news - here's a recap of today's developments:
Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics
We brought you the UK's latest official Covid figures earlier - but, at this stage in the pandemic, do we need to start looking at them differently?
Covid deaths are rising sharply in the UK, but an increasing proportion of these are actually due to something else, BBC analysis suggests.
That's because some people die with Covid rather than from it.
The Omicron wave is driving rising infections, which means more people will catch it and some will get sick.
Deaths will inevitably increase too, but not all will be "true" Covid ones. Others will be people who happened to test positive.
As with last night's story about the two leaving parties on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, this latest revelation was first reported by the Telegraph., external
The paper says dozens of people attended a “boozy” send off for Kate Josephs, the former head of the team responsible for drawing up Covid restrictions.
The leaving do was held on 17 December 2020 - the same night that Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, held a gathering in his private office - and 24 hours before No 10 staff hosted their own Christmas Party, the newspaper says.
A source told the newspaper that Case was invited to the Josephs event, although the Cabinet Office said “categorically” that he did not attend.
Vicki Young
Deputy Political Editor
At this point all Downing Street can do is apologise.
The plan was to buy time waiting for Sue Gray's report but even that became untenable as Boris Johnson was forced to say sorry to MPs in the Commons and now to the Queen.
The problem for the prime minister and his team is that they are not in control of this situation, they don't know what's coming next and can only react.
The absurd detail about filling a suitcase with wine in last night's leak has prompted a raft of memes mocking Johnson and his staff. No politician wants to be the object of ridicule.
For now it's clear they're trying to insulate the prime minister, pointing out that he was away when these latest antics took place.
There's no sign his cabinet is plotting against him, but the danger hasn't passed.
A further 99,652 new coronavirus infections have been recorded in the UK, according to the government's daily figures, external.
There have also been a further 270 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test.
Some 111,849 people got a third or booster dose. This means, in total, 36,191,724 people have had three jabs. That's 62.9% of the population aged 12 or over.
In total, 90.5% of people aged 12 or over have had their first dose of a vaccine, and 83.2% have had two jabs.
More now on the apology from the former director general of the government's Covid taskforce, who's said sorry over a gathering in the Cabinet Office for her leaving drinks.
Kate Josephs says the event will now be considered in the context of the Cabinet Office investigation and added she didn't attend any events at No 10 Downing Street.
Senior civil servant Sue Gray is investigating alleged coronavirus rule breaking in Downing Street and other government departments and is expected to publish her report within days.
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Image source, SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCILWe've just learned of another lockdown leaving party in government.
The former head of the civil service Covid taskforce - the team responsible for drawing up Covid restrictions - says she's sorry for holding a leaving party during lockdown in 2020.
Kate Josephs, now chief executive of Sheffield City Council, has tweeted, external a statement in which she says she had drinks with colleagues on the evening of 17 December.
The event took place in their office at the Cabinet Office to mark her leaving the civil service.
"I am truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result," she says.
What are the latest revelations? It was revealed last night that there were two staff parties in Downing Street on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.
What has No 10 said? The PM's spokesman says it is "deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning". No 10 has apologised to the Queen.
What has the PM said? Boris Johnson was not at either party but, earlier this week, he apologised for attending a drinks party in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020.
How have other parties reacted? Labour is calling for the PM to resign, with leader Sir Keir Starmer saying Johnson has "degraded the office of prime minister". Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey says the PM should “apologise personally to the Queen” and "admit he's no longer fit to lead the country".
What about the Conservatives? Five Tory MPs have so far gone on record to say they've written to the 1922 Committee to call for Johnson to go.
What's next? Senior civil servant Sue Gray is expected to report on her investigation into alleged Covid rule breaking in Downing Street and government departments in the coming days. The PM says he will respond to her findings appropriately. Meanwhile, if the 1922 committee gets 54 letters of no confidence in the PM a leadership challenge will be triggered.
Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics
The Office for National Statisitcs has just published it's weekly infection survey, which estimates how many people in the UK had Covid in the week to 7 January.
It says infections continued to grow across the UK last week – up to 4.3 million people – but at a slower pace than in the weeks before Christmas.
The slowdown likely reflects a combination of more people getting vaccinated and changes in who we mixed with over the holidays. The return to school and work has yet to be reflected in the figures.
London saw rates fall to just under 8% of people testing positive – still historically high levels but heading in the right direction.
The north of England has continued to see rises and has now overtaken the capital. Nearly 10% of people in the north West were estimated to have coronavirus.
And rates in Northern Ireland and Scotland continued to rise – both passing 5% for the first time.
The ONS survey gives us the clearest picture of the epidemic: it’s not affected by who decides to or who can get tested because it picks people chosen at random to work out how many of us might have coronavirus.
Some possible good news now and the trajectory of Covid in the UK is "on a pattern of improvement from now on" as cases have peaked across the country, a leading statistician says.
Prof David Spiegelhalter, from the University of Cambridge, tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that hospital admissions also look like they are coming down, although deaths are still rising.
Asked if he thought it was fair to say lockdowns were not necessary for this wave, Prof Spiegelhalter says tougher measures would have meant fewer cases and hospital admissions.
However, he says what has happened is much better than many modellers predicted before Christmas.
You might say ministers in England got away with their "gamble" of resisting further restrictions, he says, but suggests this was because many people were being sensible and cautious off their own backs.
Image source, ZOIE O'BRIEN/BBCPrit Pal Singh says the PM should have had more control over his colleagues
The Essex seat of Harlow, which has been held by the Conservatives since 2010, is often seen as a good indicator of the political temperature.
BBC East has been asking local people what they think about the latest revelations of lockdown parties at Downing Street.
Small business owner Prit Pal Singh, 43, is scathing.
"People were dying in the UK, people losing their loved ones, and he [Boris Johnson] was allowing the parties to happen at Downing Street," he says. "Being the leader of the country, he should have had more control of his colleagues who were working with him."
Image source, ZOIE O'BRIEN/BBCSakeena was disgusted at the reports
Mother-of-five Sakeena, 35, says the behaviour we've heard about is "disgusting".
"We're being told we can't do this or we can't do that and we can't take our kids out, and then he can have social gatherings with whoever he wants, whenever he wants. I really don't think that's fair."
But John Chittock, 86, isn't sure whether the prime minister should resign.
"Whatever they do, it's up to them. If they want to get Covid, I get it, but it is bad on people who suffered," he says.
Rob Watson
BBC political correspondent
This is the second dramatic apology in a week, though oddly perhaps it seems to be on behalf of 10 Downing Street to the Queen rather than from Boris Johnson himself.
That the apology has been made so quickly no doubt reflects the prime minister’s concern not just at the mounting anger, but also widespread ridicule and mockery of his leadership.
Johnson continues to fight for his political life and is asking his party and the country to at least hold judgement until a report into all the various alleged parties is completed in the next week or so.
In non-UK Covid news, we've got more now on Australia's decision to revoke tennis star Novak Djokovic's visa for a second time over his right to remain in the country unvaccinated.
The decision on "health and good order" grounds means he could be deported and get a three-year visa ban.
The men's world number one was due to play in the Australian Open, which begins on Monday.
This is what people in the tournament's host city Melbourne have to say about it.
Australians react to Novak Djokovic's second visa cancellation
If you want to follow all the latest on this story, you can head over to our dedicated live page
After facing renewed calls for his resignation, Boris Johnson will be "deeply worried" about his position, David Cameron's former communications chief Sir Craig Oliver says.
He tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: “The Cabinet and MPs are probably weighing up 'are we better with him or better without him'?”
But he says it will be “quite a sophisticated calculation” for anyone thinking about replacing Johnson, who will face numerous challenges, including the cost of living crisis.
That's why he concludes “most of them are prepared to see what happens” with the inquiry being carried out by senior civil servant Sue Gray.
Image source, ReutersAndrea Thorpe, chairwoman of the Maidstone and The Weald Conservative Association, says people in her area "feel let down" by reports of lockdown parties at Downing Street and believe Boris Johnson should stand aside for a new leader.
"I think people have just now had enough," she tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.
She says that the general feeling speaking to local people is that for the sake of the Conservative Party and upcoming local elections in May, the prime minister should step down.
"I’m a fan of Boris and his downfall is being, it seems, manipulated," she says. "But these events and these calamities have happened - and regardless of how long ago they were, it’s just one calamity too many."
Vicki Young
Deputy Political Editor
There is an awful lot of unhappiness among Conservative MPs – and it’s not just the usual critics.
There are some who backed him as leader who are very worried and actually think he should go.
But a couple of them said to me: “The thing is, we’ve still got to think about who we would get."
And the thing that’s helping Boris Johnson, potentially, is that isn’t entirely clear – there’s not one leadership bid going on, they’re not rallying around one person.
Tom Ashton, deputy chairman of the Boston and Skegness Conservative Association, says local people he has spoken to are willing to give Boris Johnson another chance.
He describes the fresh allegations of lockdown parties at Downing Street in April 2021 as "just another tragic attempt to breathe life into a story that has been running now for the best part of six to eight weeks".
The Conservative says the prime minister has given a "candid apology" for attending another drinks party in May 2020, and people should wait for the results of an ongoing investigation into gatherings.
"I don’t think it’s actually fair to constantly have to respond to drips of information which come out in leaks, which are designed for no other purpose than to damage the government and damage the prime minister," he tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.
He says the views of people in his area are "a mixed bag" but there is "genuine loyalty" for what the prime minister has achieved and "a willingness to give him another chance" off the back of that.
If you're just joining us or need a recap, here's the main news so far:
Meanwhile, the Welsh government has confirmed a phased plan to reduce Covid restrictions that were put in place on Boxing Day, as Omicron cases fall.
From tomorrow, up to 500 - rather than 50 - people will be allowed to attend an outdoor event, crowds will return to sporting fixtures from next week, and nightclubs will reopen on 28 January.
First Minister Mark Drakeford, says while the pandemic is not over in Wales, he is "optimistic" better days lie ahead.
"The actions we have taken together have helped us to weather the Omicron storm. The latest data suggests some positive signs that the peak may have passed," he says.
"We can now look more confidently to the future and plan to start gradually removing the alert level two restrictions, starting with the outdoor measures."
