Tory aides invited to 'Jingle and Mingle' Covid party
BBCConservative activists filmed dancing at a Christmas party during Covid restrictions in 2020 were invited to "jingle and mingle", according to an invitation seen by the BBC.
The invitation was sent to 30 people on behalf of Ben Mallet, a former aide to Boris Johnson awarded an OBE last week.
At the time, London was under Tier-2 restrictions which banned indoor socialising.
Police are reviewing video of the event first published by the Mirror.
In the footage, one person is heard saying it is OK to film "as long as we don't stream that we're, like, bending the rules".
The Conservative Party said four people were disciplined over the event, although it has not named them.
The event was held on behalf of Shaun Bailey's unsuccessful Mayor of London campaign, and was thrown for party activists.
He was awarded a peerage in Mr Johnson's resignation honours list last week.
The video features Mr Mallet - awarded an OBE in Mr Johnson's resignation honours - chatting to guests and holding a glass of red wine.
A spokesperson for Mr Mallet, who was campaign director for the Conservative Party's candidate in the 2021 London mayoral election, said he did not send the invitation himself. It was sent by an administrator.
Mr Bailey said he apologised "unreservedly" for the event, which he said "turned into something" after he had left.
He claimed he was "very upset about the video" as he had "never seen it before".
Under questioning, Mr Bailey said he had not chosen the team of staff seen in the video. "It was a staff team that was given to me, but the buck stops with me," he said.
The Liberal Democrats have called for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to strip honours from those attending the party.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has apologised for the video, and told the BBC the footage was "terrible" and would leave people feeling "extremely angry".
In November 2022, Scotland Yard said it was taking no action against Mr Bailey or other people who attended the gathering.
On Monday, the force said it was now "assessing video footage that was not previously provided to officers" in the party.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the video "tells a much richer, clearer story" than the photo the force had seen during its first investigation into the event.
Speaking on the News Agents Podcast, Sir Mark said: "I think we can all see the colourful nature of the video and how much it tells a story way beyond the original photo.
"I need to let a team work through that but I think we can all guess which way it will go."
The Met Police are also investigating new reports, released by the Cabinet Office, of potential rule breaches by former prime minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street and Chequers during the Covid pandemic.
And officers are looking into reports senior Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin, who sits on the Privileges Committee attended a drinks party for his wife's birthday in the House of Commons while London was in Tier-2 lockdown.
In a 45-second video published by the Mirror newspaper, people can be seen drinking and standing in groups, while a man and a woman can be seen holding hands and dancing.
One member of the party can be heard asking: "Are you filming this?"
A man then laughs before saying: "As long as we are not streaming that we're bending the rules."
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said:"While the Conservatives 'jingled and mingled', the British public followed the rules and did the right thing.
"The Conservatives should be utterly ashamed. It's clear it's one rule for them and another for everyone else."