Martin Reynolds (civil servant)

Last updated

On 10 January 2022, an image leaked to ITV News purported to show an email sent by Reynolds on 20 May 2020 inviting those at 10 Downing Street to "make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks" in the garden. [9] Invitees were asked to "bring your own booze". [10] It was reported that over 100 people were invited to this gathering, and between thirty and forty people attended. [10] Campaigners including the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group called for Reynolds to be dismissed. [11]

On 3 February 2022 he resigned as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, [12] but was expected to remain in place until a successor had been found. [13] On 8 March 2022, Reynolds was succeeded by Peter Wilson. [14]

In May 2022, following the release of the investigation final report by Sue Gray, it was revealed that Reynolds had boasted he had "got away with" rule-breaking at a "bring-your-own-booze" party in May 2020. In a fragment of a message to a special adviser, he had said: "Best of luck - a complete non-story but better than them focusing on our drinks (which we seem to have got away with)." [15] Reynolds' name was mentioned 24 times in the report. [16]

In the 2023 Channel 4 docudrama Partygate , he was played by Edwin Flay. [17]

Honours

Reynolds was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2018 Birthday Honours, for services to British foreign policy. [18] He was additionally appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours. [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom</span> Senior official in the British Civil Service

The Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a senior official in the United Kingdom Civil Service who acts as principal private secretary to the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of this office is traditionally the head of the Prime Minister's Office in 10 Downing Street. In the Civil Service, the role is currently graded as director general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downing Street Chief of Staff</span> Most senior political appointee in the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The office of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris Johnson</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British politician and writer. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously was 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 Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Sedwill</span> British diplomat and civil servant (born 1964)

Mark Philip Sedwill, Baron Sedwill, is a British diplomat and senior civil servant who served as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service to Prime Ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson from 2018 to 2020. He also served as the United Kingdom National Security Adviser from 2017 to 2020. He was previously the United Kingdom's Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010 and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan in 2010. He was the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office from February 2013 to April 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon McDonald, Baron McDonald of Salford</span> British diplomat

Simon Gerard McDonald, Baron McDonald of Salford, is a British former diplomat who was the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service until September 2020. He was the last professional head of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has been the Master of Christ's College, Cambridge, since September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Quarrey</span> British diplomat

David Quarrey is a British diplomat and the British Ambassador to NATO since 2022. He was formerly acting National Security Adviser, having taken over the role while David Frost continued as the United Kingdom's Chief Negotiator to the European Union during the Brexit negotiations. He was the UK's Ambassador to Israel from 2015 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Case</span> British civil servant

Simon Case is a British civil servant who is the current Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service since 9 September 2020, succeeding Sir Mark Sedwill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hill (civil servant)</span>

Peter Thomas Marshall Hill is a British civil servant and a former political advisor. He was appointed CEO of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in September 2019, having previously been Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Wilson (diplomat)</span> British diplomat, born 1968

Peter Michael Alexander Wilson is a civil servant whose most recent post was to serve as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He has also served as British Ambassador to Brazil, British Ambassador to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Johnson</span> Media advisor, married to Boris Johnson

Caroline Louise Beavan Johnson is an English media consultant and is married to former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. She is the daughter of Matthew Symonds, co-founder of The Independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Richardson</span> British politician

Angela Joy Richardson is a British Conservative Party politician, who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Guildford since the 2019 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen MacNamara</span> British civil servant

Helen MacNamara is a British former civil servant, who served as the Deputy Cabinet Secretary in the Cabinet Office from 2020 to 2021. She had previously worked as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet from January 2019 and was Director General for Propriety and Ethics in 2018. Previous to this, she was the Director General for Housing and Planning in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. She worked for Jeremy Heywood in the Cabinet Secretariat from 2013 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Rosenfield</span> British political advisor and civil servant (born 1977)

Daniel Robert Rosenfield, Baron Rosenfield, is a British political adviser and civil servant who served as the Downing Street Chief of Staff from January 2021 to February 2022. Between July 2007 and April 2011, he served as the principal private secretary to chancellors Alistair Darling and George Osborne, and subsequently as a managing director for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Jack Doyle is a British journalist who served as Downing Street Director of Communications from April 2021 to February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partygate</span> British political scandal

Partygate is 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (January–June 2022)</span>

The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom from January to June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 vote of confidence in the Conservative Party leadership of Boris Johnson</span> 2022 vote of confidence in Boris Johnson

On 6 June 2022, a vote of confidence was held amongst Conservative Party MPs on the prime minister, Boris Johnson's, leadership of their party. Johnson won the vote with the support of 211 Conservative members of Parliament, 58.8% of the total. Out of 359 MPs, 148 (41.2%) voted against him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours (Boris Johnson)</span> Honours awarded following the resignation of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister

The 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours are honours awarded following the September 2022 resignation of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom in 2023.

The UK House of Commons Committee of Privileges inquiry into the matter referred on 21 April 2022 on the conduct of Boris Johnson concerns four specific assertions made by the then Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions about "the legality of activities in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office under Covid regulations", events commonly referred to as Partygate. The investigation is concerned with whether Johnson misled the Commons when he made these statements. Johnson resigned over the investigation after having been sent a draft copy of the committee's report.

References

  1. ↑ Chorley, Matt (4 February 2022). "The Press Gallery". Red Box Politics Podcast (Podcast). Acast. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Martin Reynolds". LinkedIn. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Martin Reynolds". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 Zaptia, Sami (4 April 2019). "Martin Reynolds appointed new UK ambassador to Libya from April". Libya Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  5. ↑ "Deputy High Commissioner Martin Reynolds's speech at C5's Forum on Anti-Corruption - Southern Africa". GOV.UK. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "British High Commission Pretoria". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Birthday 2018 Diplomatic Service and Overseas List" (PDF). UK Government. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Libya - April 2019". GOV.UK (Press release). Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "'100 invited' to Downing Street garden lockdown drinks". BBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Boris Johnson 'attended No 10 lockdown-breaking party' with 100 staff invited". The Independent. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  11. ↑ McShane, Asher (11 January 2022). "Partygate: Calls grow for PM's top aide Martin Reynolds to be sacked". LBC. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Four senior aides to Boris Johnson resign from No 10". BBC News. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  13. ↑ Stewart, Heather (3 February 2022). "Four Johnson aides quit in fallout from Downing Street parties". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "Peter Wilson appointed Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  15. ↑ Diver, Tony (25 May 2022). "'We got away with it': Downing Street chief Martin Reynolds' messages revealed in Sue Gray report". The Telegraph– via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  16. ↑ "Sue Gray partygate report: Who's in the firing line after inquiry findings?".
  17. ↑ "Meet the cast of Partygate on Channel 4". Radio Times . 3 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "No. 62310". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 2018. p. B4.
  19. ↑ "Resignation Honours 2023" (PDF). gov.uk. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "No. 64120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 2023. p. 14502.
Martin Reynolds
CB CMG
Martin Reynolds.jpg
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
1 October 2019 –3 February 2022
Government offices
Preceded by Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary
2014–2018		Succeeded by
Preceded by Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
2019–2022		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by British Ambassador to Libya
2019		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.