'I went through a lot of pain, but we followed the guidelines': North East responses to partygate
Video report by Tom Barton
Our correspondent Tom Barton spoke to people in our region who are finding it hard to forgive the alleged rule-breaking in the heart of the government.
They said they've made sacrifices, and followed the rules during the pandemic - and are angry at the reports of lockdown breaching parties
Councillor Mohammed Javed
It has been almost a year since Cllr Mohammed Javed, had lost his brother. The Labour councillor from Stockton had refused to break lockdown guidelines, and was unable to see him to say his final goodbye.
“Over six months before he died, I've not seen him. And we were only three or four minutes drive From each other," he said.
“One day he said to me, can I come to the door and stand on the road, ‘so I can look at you’. I said, ‘no, that’s against the law. You know, you can't do that.’
"I went through a lot of pain, but we followed the guidelines. And then you come to know the people who made the guidelines, and the prime minister of the country himself, is breaking the rules.”
Deborah Doyle
Deborah's mum Syliva died from Covid in a care home early in the pandemic. When Deborah said goodbye to her mum, the crematorium in Sunderland was almost empty.
When she buried her mum she followed the Covid restrictions. She said: "We had to yeah, and I would have anyway, because this is a deadly virus.”
“My mum was buried with very few of us there to be able to say my mom off.“It's just not acceptable. Why should the rules be different for the people at the top that govern us and make these rules, and they're not, they're not following them? What kind of example is that?"
Deborah is now a member of the campaign group behind the Covid memorial wall in London.
Gavin Wilson
Gavin knew that having parties during the pandemic was not allowed. He’d been planning his big 40th birthday bash for five years - but rearranged it three times before cancelling altogether to avoid breaching covid restrictions.
“The fact of the matter is there shouldn't have been any parties, we were all abiding by the law.“When you get down to it, when someone's telling you to do something by law, we follow it. But then when you find out that they're not following it, it makes you really angry.
"And I can well imagine that there is thousands, if not millions, of people that are so angry with this at the moment.”
Tariq Sadiq
Stockton Mosque had never closed its door until the pandemic. In 2020, it remained shut during Eid - a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims.
It was around the same time as the Bring Your Own Booze gathering in Downing Street, which was attended by the Prime Minister.
“They never, ever expected a house of God to be close. So it was really, really hard for them to see the mosque closed.
“They were head front of our country. They were the main people to run this country, and if they behave like that, what chance is there for us as a working-class people? It's not fair.
"It's just disgusting. That's the only word I can use. You know, they all should be punished for it. They all should be kicked out.”