Ricky Gervais has spoken out about the alleged parties held by members of the UK government last year while the general public was facing lockdown measures.
As reported by BBC News, an inquiry is now underway to determine the true nature of several gatherings attended by members of the Conservative party.
One image from May 2020 shows prime minister Boris Johnson and members of staff surrounded by bottles of wine and a cheeseboard in the Downing Street garden. And earlier this month, footage of the prime minister's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton showed her joking about a non-socially distanced "business meeting" that took in Downing Street on December 18, 2020.
Now, UK comedian and actor Ricky Gervais has slammed the UK government for the alleged gatherings.
Speaking in a 30+ minute video posted to his social media channels, the 60-year-old After Life star described the apparent flouting of the rules as one of the "worst things" he's witnessed amid the pandemic.
Check out Gervais' rant below (starts at 02:35):In an expletive-filled tirade, Gervais said that apart from the climbing deaths and the strain on the health service: "The worst thing is the f***ing c**** in charge do what they want."
He continued:
"I see all these people saying all the parties they were having and people saying that was the day I couldn't see my mom in hospital, or I couldn't go to my dad's funeral because the posh, privileged people in charge were acting like f***ing Charlie Sheen.
"I mean really f***ing rubbing salt in the wound. I don't get political but they're all s***."
The Office star then questioned: "When are we going to stop taking 'went to Eton' as a qualification to run the country? I mean f***ing hell.
"So that's why I'm doing this as well because I've noticed all around there's a lot of annoyance and frustration, totally justified as well."
BBC News reports that senior civil servant Sue Gray has taken over the investigation into the reports, after taking over from Cabinet Secretary Simon Case. Gray is reportedly looking into the four following alleged gatherings:
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- An alleged gathering on November 27
- The Department for Education gathering on December 10
- The Downing Street Christmas quiz on December 15
- The alleged Downing Street party on December 18
Gray took over from Case after it emerged that a quiz was held in his own private offices on December 17, 2020.