A series of WhatsApp messages have revealed that senior Number 10 figures said they were “struggling” to find justifications for some of the lockdown gatherings in Downing Street.

The messages were given to the cross-party Privileges Committee which was tasked with investigating whether Boris Johnson misled parliament over partygate allegations.

Evidence included extracts from a series of WhatsApp exchanges between then-communications director Jack Doyle and a No 10 official discussing the birthday gathering held for Mr Johnson in 2020, for which Mr Johnson was fined by police.

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Mr Doyle wrote: “I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is in the rules in my head.”

The former prime minister’s solicitors supplied 46 WhatsApp messages between Mr Johnson and five other individuals to the committee following a request for all relevant messages.

They suggest concerns were being discussed as early as April 2021 – months before Mr Johnson first denied rules had been broken.

Here are the key WhatsApp messages:

28 April 2021

Seven months before the first reports of lockdown parties appeared in the press – one unnamed official sent a message noting another official was “worried about leaks of PM having a p*** up and to be fair I don’t think it’s unwarranted”.

30 November 2021

• Director of Communications: “Can you pull together our best possible defence on this one. I don’t know what we say about the flat”
• Number 10 official: “Don’t we just do a generic line and not get into whether there was a drinks thing or not”
• Number 10 official: “COVID rules have been followed at all times or something”
• Director of Communications: “I think we have to say something as robust as we can manage but see what you think”

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25 January 2022

• Director of Communications: “Have we had any legal advice on the birthday one?”
• Director of Communications: “Haven’t heard any explanation of how it’s in the rules.”
• Number 10 official: “I’m trying to do some Q&A, it’s not going well”
• Director of Communications: “I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is in the rules in my head”
• Director of Communications: “PM was eating his lunch of course”
• Number 10 official: “I meant for the police bit but yeah as ridiculous as the cake thing is it is difficult”
• Number 10 official: “Reasonably necessary for work purposes'”
• Director of Communications: “Not sure that one works does it. Also blows another great gaping hole in the PM’s account doesn’t it?”

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In the 24-page report, the committee said evidence strongly suggests it would have been “obvious” to Mr Johnson that COVID rules were being breached at Downing Street gatherings he attended.

The committee will cross-examine what Mr Johnson knew at the time of his various denials to the Commons, including saying on 8 December 2021 that no rules had been broken despite Sue Gray and the police concluding otherwise.

Mr Johnson released a statement claiming the inquiry’s interim report showed he was being “vindicated” as he raised concern about civil service investigator Ms Gray’s move to Sir Keir Starmer’s office.

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The report makes clear that the publication was “not the final conclusions”, with Mr Johnson scheduled to give oral evidence broadcast live on television later this month.

The report comes after the release of around 100,000 leaked WhatsApp messages which have revealed how former health secretary Matt Hancock handled the COVID pandemic.

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