Daughter of Leeds man who died after positive Covid test says Downing Street Christmas party is 'ultimate insult'

The daughter of a Leeds man who died after testing positive for Covid-19 said the Government has "lost all authority" to ask people to follow restrictions after it was revealed a  party was held at Downing Street last December.
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Kathryn de Prudhoe, of Oakwood, said knowing that people making the rules were breaking them is the "ultimate insult."

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She spoke out after a leaked recording showed senior Downing Street staff joking about holding a Christmas party at Number 10 four days after it is alleged to have taken place last December.

Kathryn de Prudhoe (left) with her family. She lost her father Tony Clay (back right) to Covid in April 2020.Kathryn de Prudhoe (left) with her family. She lost her father Tony Clay (back right) to Covid in April 2020.
Kathryn de Prudhoe (left) with her family. She lost her father Tony Clay (back right) to Covid in April 2020.
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Her dad Tony Clay - who was fit and healthy 60-year-old with no underlying health conditions - had flu-like symptoms for around two weeks before becoming confused and suffering a fall at his home in Bardsey on April 11 2020.

Mr Clay, a retired civil engineer, was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by ambulance after his fall.

He was admitted to a Covid-19 intensive care ward after testing positive for coronavirus.

Kathryn de PrudhoeKathryn de Prudhoe
Kathryn de Prudhoe
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Grandfather-of-two Mr Clay - who had suffered a suspected heart attack and had a bleed on the brain - died three days later.

Mrs de Prudhoe said: "Im devastated and furious at this latest revelation.

"Last year I lost both my dad and my uncle to Covid 19. My dad died alone, we mourned him in isolation and we watched my uncle's funeral on Zoom.

"We have continued to make sacrifices and take measures to keep ourselves and others safe since March 2020 because we know too well the unbearable pain this virus can cause.

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"Knowing that the very people making the rules were brazenly breaking them and then laughing at us for following them is the ultimate insult; like rubbing salt in a gaping, infected wound.

"And the worst of it is that we’re now facing another critical phase of the pandemic with the Omicron variant and the Government has lost all authority to ask people to follow restrictions, which means more people will inevitably die."

Mrs de Prudhoe helped launch the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group last May and is a spokesperson for the group.

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