Tackle this week's newsquiz

The top solo scorers in last week’s newsquiz were Liz Gerard, Jayme Bryla and Robert Rea who all scored 22, just ahead of Janet Boyle on 21. Marguerite Turner scored 19 and Stuart Bagnall 18. The top team was Bruce and Sarah Hayward with a score of 20. Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe scored 19.5 and Maura and Phil Parsons 19. Here is this week’s quiz. As usual there are 25 questions about the week’s events. Give it a go and let me know your score.

A selection of today's front pages

1. In a leaked video of a mock press conference, what is the name of the special adviser who asked the questions to the Prime Minister’s then Press secretary, Allegra Stratton, about 'a Downing Street Christmas party’?

2. In the leaked video, Downing Street staff told Allegra Stratton to say that ‘it wasn’t a party, it was ___ and ___’. She then 

asked ‘is ___ and ___ all right?’. What are the two missing words? Half a point for each.

3. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenged Boris Johnson about the alleged party at Downing Street, and said that even who 'were ahead of the Prime Minister on this’? 

4. After the video leak, Allegra Stratton stepped down from her role as Government’s spokesperson for what … a position she held since April?

5. Which former Government minister was said to have delivered a speech to two dozen of his staff who gathered for 'drinks and canapes' on December 10 last year while London was under Tier 2 restrictions?

6. Following the Government’s Covid Plan B, in which of these places will it not be mandatory to wear a mask from today (Friday)? a) theatres and cinemas  b) churches c) pubs d) public libraries?

7. Which Tory MP criticised the Government over its approach to the Omicron Covid variant, accusing ministers of putting businesses at risk by 'stopping and starting sectors of our economy’?

8. The Conservative Party was fined £17,800 by the Electoral Commission for 'failing to accurately report a donation' that mainly paid for what?

9. What did former Foreign Office employee Raphael Marshall say was 'dysfunctional and chaotic' and was not 'fully understood' by Dominic Raab?

10.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson said no Government ministers would attend what event because of alleged human rights abuses?

11. Metropolitan police officers Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis, who shared photos of two murdered sisters on WhatsApp, were jailed for two years and nine months after being pleading guilty to what offence?

12. An 80-year-old woman died after being swept into which Dorset river during Storm Barra?
13. Why did football fans at grounds around the country, including Birmingham, West Ham, Watford, Coventry, Wolves and Newcastle, applaud at the sixth-minute of their games at the weekend. 

14. Which long-standing Republican, who stood as presidential candidate against Bill Clinton in 1996, died aged 98?

15. New Zealand announced it was banning young people from ever being allowed to buy what in their lifetime?

16. Students at which university demanded the resignation of Professor Tim Luckhurst after he invited journalist Rod Liddle to talk at an end of year event? 

17. Angela Merkel’s 16-year reign as Chancellor came to an end as the German parliament elected who as her successor?

18. Vishal Garg, the chief executive of US mortgage company Better.com, apologised to 900 members of his staff for the way he sacked them. How did he do it? 

19. Cricketer Rory Burns became the first England player since Stan Worthington in 1936 to do what?

20. The co-founder of which band from the 80s, who had Top Ten hits with Smalltown Boy, Why? and a cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love, died this week aged 61?

21. What will not be replaced in London despite being described as thin, sparse, anaemic and ugly?

22. According to the Unicode Consortium which emoji was the world's most used in 2021?

23. Prince Harry said people who did what during the pandemic should be ‘celebrated’ as the start of a 'mental health awakening’?

24. Prince William, speaking on an Apple podcast, recalled his mother used to play songs in the car saying: ‘One of the songs I massively remember and has stuck with me all this time, and I still, to this day, still quite enjoy secretly.' What song was he referring to?

25. Four out of the first five campmates to be eliminated from I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! were women, meaning there is only one female left. Name her. 

Answers here