A photo showing Boris Johnson sitting at a table on the garden terrace of Downing Street with friends, wine and cheese amid a lockdown last May, the Guardian reported.
The photo was taken on May 15, 2020, a day for which another social gathering of members of the Prime Minister's Office has been reported, violating the restrictive measures, as it is alleged that alcohol and pizza were consumed. Downing Street had dismissed the complaint, arguing that it was a "business meeting".
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In the photo, Boris Johnson is sitting at a table with his wife Carrie Simmonds and two co-workers, with a bottle of wine in front of them, full of glasses and cheese, while about 15 other people have formed groups in the Downing Street garden, with more bottles of wine to be distinguished. The newspaper points out that there is no distance between them.
At that time, the Guardian reminds, meetings of up to two people from different households were allowed, only in the open air and at a distance of two meters between them. In the workplace, the rules allowed only "absolutely necessary" meetings.
Downing Street commented that the rules did not prohibit the consumption of alcohol at work.
Labor Deputy Leader Angela Reiner called the photo a "slap in the face to the British public" and a confirmation of the Prime Minister's "disrespect" to the rules he imposes on citizens.
He noted that complaints about the gathering indicate that the staff "party" continued until late that night, both in the garden and indoors on Downing Street.
The Guardian and the Independent had revealed the gathering of Downing Street staff members, with sources saying that Boris Johnson was present for 15 minutes and that he had told his associates that they deserved a drink as they had "beaten" the coronavirus.
Mr Johnson has come under fire recently for a series of allegations and revelations about a Downing Street party violating the pandemic.
The British Prime Minister had assigned the investigation of these complaints to the Secretary of the Council, Simon Keys, who, however, resigned when it was reported that he was also responsible for a party of his office staff.
The investigation has now been undertaken by Sue Gray, also a high-ranking member of the cabinet secretariat.