Amidst all the chaos, No. 10 will be relieved to know they’ve still got a friend in Michael Fabricant. Appearing on BBC News this morning, Fabricant went out to bat for the PM, insisting that – despite Martin Reynolds’ email inviting over 100 people to the event – the staff were simply “spilling out” into the garden:

“Boris and others felt sorry for people who were working long, long hours and they were simply spilling out from their own offices into a secure garden, which is an integral part of Number 10 Downing Street. And you know what? I’d rather have a Prime Minister who felt for his staff and all those hardworking people than some cold fish who really couldn’t care a toss about them.”

Asked how it was possible to “spill out” into a pre-arranged party with booze, Fabricant said:

“You spill out from your offices into a secure area. There was no mixing. This is the point I’m making: so many people who were prosecuted and felt they were breaking the rules, were because there was a risk of them mixing with people who they otherwise wouldn’t have met. These were the same people who’d actually worked in tight offices…”

Guido’s not sure that’ll be the line Sue Gray ends up taking…