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Pictured: Kay Burley's 60th birthday bash

by Rosaura Mansour (2020-12-21)


Damning photos show Sky News journalists Kay Burley, Beth Rigby, Sam Washington and Inzamam Rashid flouting Covid restrictions on Saturday by gathering for a party for the presenter's upcoming 60th birthday. 

Ms Burley and Ms Rigby attended a dinner at the Century Club in Soho with eight friends and colleagues  including Ms Washington, Mr Rashid and ex-Royal correspondent Paul Harrison, now a spin doctor for Huawei.

The identities of the five others have not been revealed.

Ms Burley later 'popped' in to another restaurant after the 11pm curfew, and it was claimed some of the group then returned to her London home to continue the party.  

Ms Burley is set to be off air until early 2021, with a source close to her saying she 'doesn't have a leg to stand on' despite her apology for 'inadvertently' breaking the rules.

However, Ms Burley muddied the waters last night after tweeting that she was always due to use her annual leave this month for a trip to Africa.

Political editor Ms Rigby and presenter Ms Washington have also been taken off air by Sky along with North of England correspondent Mr Rashid, who went along to Ms Burley's party in London at the weekend. 

The photos have emerged amid claims that Ms Burley 'is not out of the woods' just yet, as an ongoing probe into her birthday party misdemeanour could lead to her leaving the news channel. But sources within Sky told MailOnline there were layers to the breaches of Covid-19 laws - adding that there was a difference between Ms Rigby and Ms Washington, and others who went on to Ms Burley's home.

Veteran colleague Adam Boulton tonight waded into the row and announced that Ms Burley's actions had undermined the 'credibility' of Sky News, after appearing to back claims the group had acted like 'morons'.  

Sky News stalwart Mr Boulton, who has worked with Ms Burley since 1989, today retweeted a viewer's angry message about the scandal, which said: 'Look at the state of Sky News.

The morons spent all summer preaching to us and now look at them! After illegally going on a bender, they were going to go to a hospital to put lives at risk!'. 

In an extraordinary intervention, the Sky editor-at-large and former political editor said that his retweets were not necessarily endorsements - but he admitted that he retweets 'things because I think they're of public interest' and said that 'the credibility of our journalism' is 'the important issue'. 

'My view is that Sky has worked very hard during the whole Covid crisis and has taken a very clear line about public safety, and obviously something like this perhaps underlines [the importance of] that,' he told the Guardian.

Ms Burley had grilled minister Michael Gove on No10 aide Dominic Cummings's car journey from London to Durham, and also questioned Matt Hancock on Professor Neil Ferguson's breach of lockdown to visit his girlfriend.

Today, all Sky staff attended a meeting at 1pm chaired by Sky News head John Ryley, with one source telling Guido Fawkes: 'I think the big bosses would be mistaken if they think this is something everyone's going to shrug off.' 

Newsroom staff were today told that Sky's far-reaching investigation into Ms Burley's rule-flouting gathering in London was 'ongoing' - and were apparently warned not to imitate or follow her behaviour. 

The revelation that she is still being probed came in a lunchtime meeting between executives and editorial staff which was held over the internet, a senior Sky source who asked not to be named told MailOnline.  

The source also revealed that the TV anchor cheap database hosting is admired for her professional approach to her work but 'doesn't exactly have a 100 per cent fan base at Sky' - and hinted that the controversy could lead to her leaving Sky.    

Sky News is owned by Comcast, which also controls US news media firms such as NBC and Universal Studios.

Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox sold its shares in Sky TV to Comcast in September 2018. 

As Ms Burley appeared to be fighting for her Sky News career, it also emerged: 

  • Bosses are said to have summoned Kay for a meeting at Sky's Osterley campus yesterday for talks with head of news John Ryley, director of content Christina Nicolotti Squires;
  • Source close to Kay admits the star 'doesn't have a leg to stand on' after 60th birthday bash;
  • Two Sky staff who attended the party are said to have signed non-disclosure agreements yesterday as the broadcaster investigates, according to The Guardian;
  • Ms Burley also understood to have been dropped from an entry to the Royal Television Society's journalism awards for her breakfast show.

    Sky News has won news channel of the year for the past three years;
  • Broadcaster insists she will be off air until 2021 because of a pre-booked trip to Africa - not because of inquiry.

Sky News presenter Kay Burley (centre in black) and Beth Rigby (right in red) at Ms Burley's 60th birthday party on Saturday

Ms Burley and Ms Rigby attended a dinner at the Century Club in Soho with eight friends and colleagues

Sources within Sky told MailOnline that Ms Burley 'doesn't have a leg to stand on' - but said that Ms Rigby could avoid losing her jobs because she was only present for part of Ms Burley's 60th birthday party

Ms Rigby, pictured outside Century Club in Soho after a dinner with Kay Burley for the presenter's birthday

Inzamam Rashid (centre), Sam Washington (right), and Paul Harrison (left) outside Century Club in Soho on Saturday

It is understood Ms Burley returned to her London home to continue the party with four colleagues, thought to have included Mr Rashid and ex-royal correspondent Paul Harrison but not Ms Rigby, who left after the meal

Sky News presenter Kay Burley (centre in black) and Beth Rigby (right in red) at Ms Burley's 60th birthday party on Saturday

Kay Burley looks set to be off air until next year and other Sky stars at the event including Beth Rigby (pictured together) have also been taken off presenting duties pending an investigation

Kay muddied the waters by tweeting that she was always due to be on annual leave in Africa from the end of this week

Adam Boulton, who has worked with Kay for 31 years, retweeted a message branding the partygoers morons

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