PM's press chief Jack Doyle offered to quit over party, source says

The PM declared his full confidence in communications director Jack Doyle

Boris Johnson's press chief offered to quit after it emerged he had given a speech at a Downing Street party held when Covid restrictions were in place, two separate sources have told the BBC.

The sources said the PM had refused to accept Jack Doyle's resignation.

Downing Street insists Mr Doyle did not offer to quit, and the PM has since declared his "full confidence" in him.

The government has launched an inquiry into the party, attended by up to 30 people on 18 December last year.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called the prime minister "unfit for office" and said it was important to "get to the bottom" of what had happened, including whether Covid rules had been broken.

A total of 58,194 new UK coronavirus cases were reported on Friday - the highest number since January and the sixth largest daily amount since the pandemic started.

And scientists warned that having two doses of Covid vaccine would be less effective against the new Omicron variant than it was against others.

Meanwhile, this year's Downing Street party has been cancelled.

• Kuenssberg: Why it matters that Doyle was at the party

• Which parties are being investigated?

The gathering in the building on 18 December last year took place two days after London had gone into Tier 3 lockdown restrictions, meaning people could not mix indoors with anyone outside their household or support bubble.

No 10 has refused to explain how this complied with the rules in place at the time.

Who is Jack Doyle?

• The former Daily Mail political reporter became the prime minister's press secretary in 2020

• He was promoted to Downing Street director of communications in April this year

• He is not the PM's official spokesman - but is in charge of how the government gets its message across to the media

• It is the role held by Alastair Campbell, when Labour was in power

• Mr Doyle earns between £140,000 and £144,999 a year

ITV News revealed on Thursday that Mr Doyle had attended the event, given a speech and handed out award certificates to staff.

Downing Street initially denied that a party had taken place on 18 December, but has now launched an investigation by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case into what happened and whether Covid rules were broken.

Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove told the BBC he understood why the 18 December party was "an issue of public concern" and said it was "vital that we get a rapid and full account of events here".

"It's also important that we focus on the need to ensure that we have in place the appropriate protections this Christmas in order to prevent the virus spreading in a way that would lead to more illness, more hospitalisations, greater pressure on the NHS and greater economic damage," Mr Gove added.

In his inquiry, Mr Case will also examine a Downing Street gathering on 27 November last year, and another at the Department for Education on 10 December.

The investigation could be widened if allegations about other alleged gatherings are deemed credible.

The government's chief whip Mark Spencer told BBC Radio Nottingham that Mr Johnson "will not have lied" about any parties that took place in Downing Street.

He added that the 18 December event had been a "meeting" rather than a social get-together, and that staff had discussed how to deal with coronavirus.

But Labour's Sir Keir, speaking during a visit to Northumberland, said: "It's absolutely important that we get to the bottom of this.

"This is just the latest allegation of dishonesty from the prime minister. We've had lie upon lie in relation to the parties going on in Downing Street.

"The prime minister is not fit for office... The government is up to its neck in dishonesty."

Government spokeswoman Allegra Stratton quit her post on Wednesday after a backlash over a video she appeared in from last December, in which she joked about a Christmas party.