Home Office staff celebrated making the news by mingling and drinking prosecco – 12 priti scathing responses

Back in September 2020, Priti Patel had a characteristically hardline definition of mingling, which was against Covid rules at that time.

How do you define "mingling"? Home Secretary @pritipatel on how the new "rule of six" means families should not stop to chat with another family #r4Today #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/BY6L78F8VU

— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) September 15, 2020

She also wanted people to turn in their partying neighbours.

No.10 had a big party on the 18th December 2020.

Priti Patel – "If there was a big party taking place, it would be right to call the police" pic.twitter.com/X0t77oCI2z

— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) December 4, 2021

So far, so Priti. Journalist Greg Barradale of The Big Issue revealed that Priti Patel’s department, the Home Office, might not have shared her views.

🚨 Exclusive 🚨

Home Office staff 'mingled and drank prosecco' during lockdown

Priti Patel has said she'd call the police if her neighbours were breaking rules

But in March 2021 around a dozen staff mingled and drank to celebrate leading the news at 6https://t.co/edx9tkWGxO

— Greg Barradale (@GregBarradale) January 17, 2022

Despite the rules stating that office workers should maintain a distance equal to around four desks between them, a Home Office spokesperson described their mingling as “in line with the guidance”.

The Home Office confirmed the drinks took place when approached, saying staff coming in was 'in line with guidance'https://t.co/edx9tkWGxO

— Greg Barradale (@GregBarradale) January 17, 2022

Here’s what tweeters had to say about it.

1.

Prosecco. Hmm. Sounds a bit foreign… stick that in a detention centre and get some Newkie Brown and pasties down your gullet… https://t.co/qXd4mWblDm

— Stephen McGann💙 (@StephenMcGann) January 17, 2022

2.

This story is the absolute fucking pits https://t.co/d0Foil61VQ

— Nish Kumar (@MrNishKumar) January 17, 2022

3.

Double standards in a government department? I'm shook, I tell ya, shook. https://t.co/OlLtpzdrqT

— Philip Lawrence 💙 (@Philip_Lawrence) January 18, 2022

4.

Honestly, the worst bit of this is them celebrating getting top billing on the news for the announcement that asylum seekers would be criminalised if they arrived via 'illegal' routes https://t.co/s18DCFpnsZ

— Moya Lothian-Mclean (@mlothianmclean) January 17, 2022

5.

Wellity, wellity, wellity, so flawless Patel needs some help from old stinky pants Johnson. https://t.co/X8q4owBEDr pic.twitter.com/XyrxKOnd2n

— Kippy Woo (@TygerWhoCame2T) January 17, 2022

6.

BREAKING: Priti Patel has explained that when she said she would call the police on her neighbours for hosting a party during lockdown, this did not include the staff in her own office mingling and drinking Prosecco x

— Laura Kuenssberg Translator (@BBCLauraKT) January 18, 2022

7.

Move over Champagne Socialists,
here are the Prosecco Populists. https://t.co/nIL0kx0cHk

— Duncan Stott 🏗️🏘️ (@DuncanStott) January 17, 2022

8.

It is utterly relentless. https://t.co/AsgqFEvvgO

— Will Jennings (@drjennings) January 17, 2022

9.

I wonder when the government policy of replacing coffee and biscuits with prosecco and cheese will be rolled out to local government? Library shifts will be much more fun. https://t.co/JXUFd1zu9T

— Georgia Grainger (@sniphist) January 17, 2022

10.

Oh so the BBC was alright then, was it? https://t.co/4Ju1Uuzb5f

— Tim Worthington (@outonbluesix) January 18, 2022

11.

BREAKING: UK Government announces new Department for Intemperance, Inebriation and Insobriety.

(There'll be a launch party next week). https://t.co/P9YJYUeb8y

— Tripe Marketing Board (@TripeUK) January 18, 2022

12.

Hey @pritipatel, I assume you're going to call the po-po? https://t.co/DI0UWf8oX8

— Jake A Smith (@JASmithWrites) January 17, 2022

We think James O’Malley may have a point.

Suspect they won’t be having drinks to celebrate this story getting traction. https://t.co/0F4jM8azaA

— James O'Malley (@Psythor) January 17, 2022

READ MORE

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Source Greg Barradale Image Screengrab, eroyka on Unsplash