The Downing Street Press Briefing Room is a room in 9 Downing Street, used by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and other senior government officials to hold press briefings and deliver ministerial broadcasts.
The room was constructed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been in use since 2021.
The first Ministerial broadcast was made by Prime Minister Anthony Eden on 27 April 1956, and broadcast on the BBC. [1] Since then, press conferences at Downing Street have been held in many different locations, including outside the door of No. 10, and during the Cameron-Clegg coalition, in the rose garden. [2] [3] The state dining room in No. 10 has also been used as a temporary press briefing room in times of bad weather. [4]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government, often accompanied by Chief Medical Officers and the Chief Scientific Adviser, began holding daily press briefings to inform the public of new guidelines and statistics, and to allow the media to ask questions. [5] As a result of this new frequency, the government under Boris Johnson converted a room in 9 Downing Street into a permanent media room in order to hold "White House-style" televised media briefings. [6]
The total cost of the refit was over £2.6 million, with the main workings of the room costing £1.8 million, up to £200,000 of long lead items, and £30,000 of broadband equipment. [7] The spending received widespread criticism from across the house, including from within the Conservative party, with Labour questioning the resource allocation during severe NHS pressure, and the Liberal Democrats branding it a "vanity project" for Johnson. [8] [9]
Russian-owned firm Megahertz, having previously performed work for state-controlled Russian broadcasters, installed computers, cameras, microphones, and a control desk. [10] Despite assurances from the government about security measures, the involvement of Megahertz raised concerns among MPs and industry sources about the appropriateness and transparency of the contract award process. [11] Labour and the chair of parliament’s cross-party group on Russia called for more transparency regarding the refurbishment. [12]
The first press conference held in the new briefing room was held by Boris Johnson on 29 March 2021, after construction delays pushed back the opening from the expected window of autumn 2020. [13] [14] Both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak also used the room for briefings.
After the 2024 general election, Labour prime minister Keir Starmer reverted to using the state dining room, with the briefing room reported as undergoing refurbishment from August 2024. [15] In January 2025 a new 'politically neutral' look was revealed, with the traditionally Conservative-associated blue removed, replaced by more wooden panels and a new grey carpet. [16] The works are reported to have cost up to £80,000.
11 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 11, is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The residence, in Downing Street in London, was built alongside the official residence of the Prime Minister at Number 10 in 1682.
9 Downing Street is one of the buildings situated on Downing Street in the City of Westminster in London, England. It has been used as a separate address to the better known 10 Downing Street since 2001 for various government functions.
The Downing Street chief of staff is the most senior political appointee in the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, acting as a senior aide to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of the office retains a highly powerful, non-ministerial position within His Majesty's Government.
Christopher Edward Wollaston MacKenzie Geidt, Baron Geidt, is a member of the House of Lords, former Courtier and Chairman of the Council of King's College London. He was Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II from 2007 to 2017.
Allegra Elizabeth Jane Stratton is a British former political aide, journalist, and writer who served as Downing Street Press Secretary under Boris Johnson from November 2020 to April 2021.
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He was previously Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 2001 to 2008 and for Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015 to 2023.
The Ministerial Code is a document setting out "rules" and standards for government ministers in the United Kingdom. Separate codes exist for ministers of the Scottish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Welsh Government.
Larry is a British domestic tabby cat who has served as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street since 2011. He is cared for by Downing Street staff, and is not the personal property of the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Larry has lived at 10 Downing Street during the premierships of six prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Keir Starmer.
The Downing Street Press Secretary is an adviser to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on news media and how to manage the image of the British government to the press. The position is part of the Prime Minister's Office and involves using information on what is happening in the UK and around the world, to decide on how the Prime Minister should present his or her reaction to the media. The incumbent also advises on how to handle news stories and other information which could affect the current Prime Minister or the Ministry.
The Downing Street director of communications is the post of director of communications for the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The position is held by an appointed special adviser.
Susan Gray is a British special adviser and former civil servant who served as Downing Street Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Keir Starmer from July to October 2024, having previously served under Starmer as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition from 2023 to 2024.
Boris Johnson's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 24 July 2019 when he accepted an invitation of Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, succeeding Theresa May, and ended on 6 September 2022 upon his resignation. Johnson's premiership was dominated by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the cost of living crisis. As prime minister, Johnson also served simultaneously as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Minister for the Union, and Leader of the Conservative Party.
Lee Edward Cain is a British public relations professional and former journalist who served as Downing Street Director of Communications under Boris Johnson from July 2019 until the end of 2020.
Caroline Louise Beavan Johnson is an English media consultant and is married to Boris Johnson. She is the daughter of Matthew Symonds, co-founder of The Independent.
Andrew John Griffith is a British Conservative Party politician and former senior media executive who has been Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade since November 2024 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Arundel and South Downs since 2019.
The financing of the 2020 refurbishment of the flat above 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, became the subject of a controversy in 2021 when allegations were made in the press as to whether an undisclosed loan was used initially to help finance it. An Electoral Commission inquiry found that the Conservative Party had not accurately reported donations to the party and imposed a £17,800 fine on the party. The commission also said that the full cost of the works had been repaid in full in March 2021. The Conservative Party had said at the time that the Prime Minister had met the full cost of the works.
Partygate was a political scandal in the United Kingdom about gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when public health restrictions prohibited most gatherings. The scandal contributed to Boris Johnson's downfall as Prime Minister and his resignation as an MP.
Pippa Crerar is a British journalist who is the political editor of The Guardian. She was previously the Daily Mirror's political editor from 2018 to 2022. While at the Mirror, she reported extensively on Partygate, a political scandal that culminated in the resignation of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.
Beergate was a British political controversy concerning allegations that an event in Durham on 30 April 2021, attended by Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, could have been in breach of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Labour and Starmer said, at the time and since, that the event complied with the rules for work gatherings, with a pause for food. The police, after investigating, cleared the Labour attendees, including Starmer and Rayner.
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