Ryedale's MP has said 'rules may have been broken' in relation to reports a lockdown Christmas party was held at No 10 Downing Street last year.

Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: "As more information has come to light, it has become clear to me that rules may have been broken at a time when the public were asked to make significant sacrifices. This is clearly unacceptable, and the Prime Minister was absolutely right to apologise and to ask Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary to investigate.

"In my view, this investigation should also consider who knew what when, and the results of this investigation should be made public. On the basis that people should be assumed innocent until proven guilty we should wait the outcome of this investigation.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised for a video showing Downing Street staff joking about a lockdown Christmas party in No 10, amid mounting public fury.

The PM said he shared people's anger and had ordered an inquiry into whether rules had been broken.

But in his apology, the PM suggested he had been misled about the Christmas party on 18 December last year.

He said he had been "repeatedly assured that there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken".

He apologised "unreservedly" for the offence caused by the video clip, claiming that he was "furious" about it.

Downing Street has spent the past week denying that a party had taken place at all on 18 December.

But that line fell apart when a video obtained by ITV News showed the PM's then press chief Allegra Stratton joking about the party four days after it had taken place.

At the time, the government's coronavirus guidance specifically stated that people should not have Christmas parties - and gatherings in London of two or more people indoors were banned unless they were "reasonably necessary" for work.

Office have been asked to comment.