of december because we had already begun the process of the inquiry. we were looking at the december the 18th event. i had received assurances about the rules on december the 18th but i hadn t received assurances about the guidance. what martin was trying to get at, if you look at what he says, it is clear, he is talking about social distancing and whether we had maintained social distancing within number ten, maintained social distancing within numberten, and maintained social distancing within number ten, and whether that weather we had maintained perfect social distancing. if you look at. on on a second. martin makes it clear that he thinks the nature of the working environment in number ten might make it difficult to claim that full social distancing was observed.
believe that was why i was inclined to believe that this event must be in line with believe that this event must be in line with the rules and guidance and that is line with the rules and guidance and that is why line with the rules and guidance and that is why i said what i said on december that is why i said what i said on december the 1st. as for my statements on december the 8th of the committee is concerned i may have the committee is concerned i may have misled the house when i say i was repeatedly assured that the event was repeatedly assured that the event was in accordance with the rules event was in accordance with the rules i event was in accordance with the rules. i don t understand his point. you rules. idon t understand his point. you can rules. i don t understand his point. you can see rules. i don t understand his point. you can see from the evidence that i believed you can see from the evidence that i believed these assurances more than once and be
may be. i think the answer is yes. himself had doubts. may be. i think the answer is yes. himself had doubts. no, forgive me, that s not correct. himself had doubts. no, forgive me, that s not correct. the himself had doubts. no, forgive me, that s not correct. the director - himself had doubts. no, forgive me, that s not correct. the director of - that s not correct. the director of communications jack doyle did not say at the time that he briefed me about the december the 18th event that he had doubts about whether the guidance was followed. he that he had doubts about whether the guidance was followed. guidance was followed. he did have doubts. where guidance was followed. he did have doubts. where is guidance was followed. he did have doubts. where is your guidance was followed. he did have doubts. where is your evidence - guidance was followed. he did have doubts. where is your evidence for| doubts. where is your evidence for that? it is in doubts. where is your evid
last year? that was the question. when i said that the guidance was followed completely at all times it was called into question by what allegra stratton had to say, so we immediately instituted the inquiry by simon case, but that remains the point at issue. the point at issue was what had happened on december the 18th. if the committee is going to say that i can t rely on the advice of senior people like jack doyle and james slack who had the advantage of actually being there thenit advantage of actually being there then it is really going to make it difficult for the government to be carried on. g , difficult for the government to be carried om carried on. just two points arising- carried on. just two points arising. when carried on. just two points arising. when you - carried on. just two points arising. when you are i carried on. just two points - arising. when you are ready. two points arising. when you are ready. two points arising arising. when you are ready. two point
i was talking about the totality following the guidance, he was talking about maintaining perfect social distancing. the advice that he was giving me was in relation to a statement that i was making about the december the 18th event and about the reassurances i had received, and it was true to say that i received reassurances about that i received reassurances about that event as far as the rules went, but it was also true to say that nobody had explicitly reassured me about the guidance and he thought it prudent to take out the reference to the guidance. it is true, as you just said, i then went on to talk to catherine west, she asked a question, and as you said, i said that. she asked a question whether there had been a party on november