Labour Party sends open letter to Grant Shapps over party furore

It reads:

Dear Grant,

You serve in a government led by Boris Johnson, actively campaigned for him to become the leader of the Conservative Party and have voted with him on every major issue in parliament since December 2019.

Given your close relationship to the Prime Minister, we think the people of Welwyn Hatfield deserve to know your view on the Downing Street Christmas party held on December 18, 2020, and the consequences this revelation has had on local people.

Two hundred and ninety-five (295) people living in Welwyn Hatfield have died with COVID-19 on their death certificates. Thousands more have been hospitalised and are living with the consequences of long Covid. Like communities across the country – we all stayed at home last Christmas, complied with the rules and chose to protect others.

In Downing Street, something very different was going on. At the party on December 18, rules were broken with abandon. And in videos now made public, senior advisers were laughing about it. Laughing. At the same time as countless families in Welwyn Hatfield were cancelling their own plans for Christmas and in some cases, putting off seeing vulnerable family members who they might never have the chance to see again.

Boris Johnson has spent the last week denying the story, but the truth is now catching up with him.

We want to know what your message is to the people of Welwyn Hatfield. Specifically:

1. Does Boris Johnson still have your support to continue as Prime Minister?

2. After all of these revelations and the erosion of trust, do you think Boris Johnson still has the moral authority to lead the country through this ongoing pandemic?

Given the urgency of this matter, we have made this an open letter. We look forward to your response.

The Welwyn Hatfield Labour Party.

Mr Shapps was contacted for comment but did not reply in time for publication.