STAFF at Downing Street are accused of attending two parties the night before Prince Philip's funeral at which the Queen had to sit alone due to social distancing rules.

According to a damning report in The Telegraph, on the night of April 16, as flags flew at half mast to mark the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh - the Queen's husband of more than 70 years - two leaving events took place at number 10.

Eye-witnesses told the newspaper so much alcohol was consumed, that at one point, someone was sent out to the Co-op on The Strand in London to fill a suitcase with wine bottles to bring back to one gathering in the basement.

It is reported that the Prime Minister was not in Downing Street on that day, having gone to Chequers, his country reatreat.

The newspaper states around 30 people attended both gatherings which eventually combined.

Downing Street did not issue a denial when asked about the claims, that also include one of the partygoers breaking Johnson's one-year-old son Wilf's swing in the Downing Street garden.

The image of the Queen sitting alone, wearing a black face mask, in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle remains an iconic moment of the pandemic.

The claims in The Telegraph come after cabinet ministers spent Thursday pledging support to embattled Johnson, despite calls from Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and other senior backbenchers to stand down.

The Prime Minister faced anger and derision at PMQs earlier this week as he admitted attending a drinks party during the first lockdown but claimed that he believed it to be a work event that did not break the rules.