A former Boris Johnson prime ministerial aide who was dubbed “Get together Marty” after arranging a bring-your-own-booze backyard celebration in Downing Road throughout Covid restrictions has acquired an honour at Windsor Fort for public service.
Martin Reynolds, Johnson’s former principal non-public secretary, was made a companion of the Order of the Bathtub at a ceremony led by the Princess Royal.
Reynolds was included in Johnson’s resignation honours record introduced in June 2023.
In Could 2020 Reynolds had despatched an invitation throughout lockdown to about 200 No 10 workers inviting them to benefit from the “beautiful climate” with some “socially distanced drinks within the No 10 backyard this night”, including: “Please be part of us from 6pm and produce your individual booze!” A lot of folks had been later fined for attending the occasion in breach of lockdown guidelines.
The Covid-19 Bereaved Households for Justice (CBFFJ) marketing campaign group has known as the honour an insult to the reminiscences of those that died, saying Reynolds had “failed in serving the general public” and that his “errors ought to value him this honour”.
Showing earlier than the UK Covid-19 inquiry in October 2023, Reynolds apologised “unreservedly” when requested concerning the celebration, saying he was “deeply sorry” for “my half in these occasions and for the e-mail message which went out that day”.
He mentioned as a result of information of the celebration didn’t emerge till “about 15 months later”, he didn’t imagine it had a significant influence on the general public through the pandemic on the time. “So whereas I completely settle for I used to be completely fallacious in the best way I despatched the e-mail round and for the occasion, I feel the influence on public confidence – though clearly now when it comes to public confidence extra typically it did have a critical influence – when it comes to the pandemic at the moment it … had much less influence,” he informed the inquiry.
The CBFFJ mentioned: “The truth that Martin Reynolds is being given an honour for public service having invited workers to a convey your individual booze celebration in No 10 throughout lockdown is an insult to the reminiscences of those that died as a result of the federal government failed to guard them, to all who died and grieved alone throughout lockdown, and to each key employee who sacrificed a lot to maintain folks protected within the absence of a authorities able to dealing with the disaster of Covid-19.”
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Others offered with honours included the previous Conservative deputy prime ministers Thérèse Coffey and Oliver Dowden, each for political and public service, having been named in Rishi Sunak’s dissolution honours record in July.
On receiving the honour, Coffey mentioned: “I’m happy with doing my finest to attempt to assist the setting and serving to folks get by way of Covid. We’ve tried to place the general public first in all the things we do, very like the royal household.”
