Staff working for transport secretary Grant Shapps reportedly held a Christmas party on the day London was moved into Tier 3 restrictions last December.
The Mirror claims that Shapps “denies all knowledge of the festive do” on December 16, 2020, but says senior civil servants were “boozing and dancing” on the day curbs banned people from different households mixing.
A spokesman for Shapps told the newspaper that the minister had “absolutely no idea” about the party and “would have banned such a gathering” had he known about it.
The Department for Transport, meanwhile, has apologised for the “inappropriate” event and staff’s “error of judgement”, said the Mirror.
The news adds pressure to the government, and prime minister Boris Johnson, following revelations about other Christmas parties held at Downing Street last December.
Shapps has also come under fire from travel agents and tour operators who have lobbied for sector-specific support amid a raft of travel restrictions that have devastated bookings during the pandemic.