FORMER mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey has quit after a photo emerged of 24 aides at a boozy Christmas bash.

       Bailey stood down from his role at the London Assembly yesterday after damning photos were revealed by the Mirror.

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       Shaun Bailey quit as chair of the London Assembly's policing body Credit: PA 2

       Bailey was pictured at a boozy Christmas bash last December when London had entered tier 2 Credit: PA

       "Shaun Bailey AM has today stood aside as Chairman of the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee," a GLA spokesman said.

       "He does not want an unauthorised social gathering involving some former members of the London mayoral campaign team last December to distract from the Committee's important work holding the Mayor of London to account.

       "He will continue to speak up for Londoners who no longer feel safe in our city and push for a strategy to tackle the disproportionate level of crime in London's black community."

       The event, organised by Bailey's mayoral campaign, took place on December 14 last year during tighter Covid restrictions.

       Bailey posed up for a snap with more than a dozen other staffers on his campaign team and Tory donors, surrounded by huge platters of food and holding drinks, with some in Christmas jumpers too.

       The pictures were taken last December when people in London were banned from meeting others indoors as part of tier 2 - except for work meetings.

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       The rowdy festive gathering saw four disciplined by the party, it was revealed after the bash emerged last week.

       The Times even claimed that a door was damaged during the boozy bash.

       It is believed the party took place the day before the festive No10 quit where the PM was pictured and four days before the Downing Street Christmas party.

       A CCHQ spokesman said: “Senior CCHQ staff became aware of an unauthorised social gathering in the basement of [CCHQ] organised by the Bailey campaign on the evening of 14th December.

       “Formal disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff who were seconded to the Bailey campaign.”

       In May, Bailey failed to beat Sadiq Khan as London Mayor after coming in second with 35 per cent of the vote.

       Khan won by 55.2% to Bailey's 44.8% after other candidates were eliminated for the second round of voting.

       Despite the loss, Bailey did better than the Conservative Party did in 2016.

       Before running for mayor, Bailey was an adviser to David Cameron bagging ￡60,000 a year to advise the then-PM on youth, crime and race issues.

       However, Bailey lost his position and was moved to a part-time role in the Cabinet Office.