Transport secretary Grant Shapps has denied that insisted Boris Johnson was “partying” in photographs leaked yesterday, but said he was “disappointed” by the images.

Yesterday evening ITV News released the photographs appearing to show Boris Johnson drinking at a party in Downing Street during Covid restrictions

Shapps told Sky News: “The question is, was he down there partying? No, clearly not. He had gone by to say thanks and raise a glass to a colleague who was leaving. 

“The answer to this of course is that the police have spent a lot of time, with a lot of people and a lot of resources crawling over it and they have come to their conclusion, as we know, he wasn’t fined for that event.”

Shapps claimed the “partygate” scandal was  “this is well covered territory”, telling Sky News: “By the looks of things he goes and thanks somebody who is leaving, 

raises a glass to them and, as I say, I, having, like everyone in this country, lived through coronavirus and in many cases made enormous sacrifices, don’t enjoy seeing pictures that suggest anything else. 

“But this is well-covered territory. We have seen this. We have known about this and the only difference is seeing the photograph.”

However he expressed disappointment at the revelations, stressing: “Look, I don’t want to say otherwise because I am disappointed to see what happened in Downing Street and we know now because the police have issued fines that that wasn’t right.”

“But the prime minister has completely reformed Downing Street, set up a new office of the prime minister, has a new permanent secretary running that, so it is completely re-organised, [he] has apologised which I think is very important and of course it has been thoroughly investigated.”