Partygate No more fines for Johnson as probe into lockdown law-breaking ends
PRIME Minister Boris Johnson will not receive any more fines for law-breaking parties, it has been confirmed, after police said they had completed their investigation into lockdown gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall.
Metropolitan Police said it had issued a total of 126 fixed-penalty notices, covering all 12 events investigated in the so-called Partygate scandal.
The force investigated a dozen events which took place in Downing Street, the Cabinet Office and other locations between May 2020 and April 2021.
Mr Johnson and his wife, Carrie, received fixedpenalty notices last month for attending a celebration for his birthday, but will not be fined again.
Rishi Sunak, fined over the same incident, was also confirmed to have received no further penalties.
However, some people received multiple fines, with 28 people given between two and five each.
Mr Johnson is now braced for the publication of the full report into illicit gatherings by civil servant Sue Gray, which officials say will be
published next week. The police investigation cost more than £460,000, and had 12 detectives working on it full time, examining hundreds of images, door records and diaries to determine whether any gathering held had broken the law.
The Prime Minister has been accused of presiding over law-breaking on an “industrial scale” during the pandemic as a result of all the penalties.
The events found to have been illegal included a leaving do for two Downing Street employees on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, April 21, 2020; a party to celebrate the departure of former senior aide Dominic Cummings on November 13, 2020; the infamous ‘BYOB’ party in the No.10 garden on May 20, 2020; and a party in No.10 on December 18, 2020, after which former aide Allegra Stratton resigned when a video emerged of her joking about it.
Yesterday No.10 said Mr Johnson had been informed by the police that he would not be receiving any further fines, along with wife Carrie Johnson.
Rishi Sunak was also fined once alongside the Johnsons after attending a gathering to mark the Prime Minister’s 56th birthday, on June 19, 2020.
Supporters of Mr Johnson said afterwards he had been “ambushed with a cake” and the event had not been planned.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said he was pleased the inquiry had now concluded, adding: “The Prime Minister...would like to thank the police for their work in bringing this investigation to completion.
“Beyond that, I think the Prime Minister will update parliament in the first instance once Sue Gray’s report is published, and that’s when he will talk in more detail.”
In a statement the force said it had decided to look into the events despite their policy of not examining retrospective lockdown breaches.
Scotland Yard said it considered whether “there was evidence that those involved knew or ought to have known that what they were doing was an offence” and said it also took into account whether by not investigating it would “significantly undermine the legitimacy of the law”.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Helen Ball, of the Met said: “There is no doubt that the pandemic impacted all of us in so many ways and strong feelings and opinions have been expressed on this particular issue.
“When Covid regulations were introduced, the Met was clear that whilst we would not routinely investigate breaches of regulations retrospectively, there may be occasions when it would be appropriate to do so.
“The information that we received with regard to the alleged breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall was sufficient to reach our criteria to begin such an investigation.
“Our investigation was thorough and impartial and was completed as quickly as we could, given the amount of information that needed to be reviewed.”
Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, said the number of fines and those who received them showed law-breaking on an “industrial scale”.
She said: “Industrial scale rule breaking has taken place at the heart of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street.
“We must now urgently see the Sue Gray report published in full. It’s time for the Prime Minister to stop hiding.
“While the British people sacrificed so much, Boris Johnson’s Downing Street broke the rules at recordbreaking scale. Britain deserves better.”
The Herald understands the team working on the internal government report, headed by Sue Gray, are preparing to deliver their findings to No.10 next week.
It is likely to be critical of the law-breaking across government, and could include images of the events which were examined by the police.
The SNP deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald said: “The staggering number of Partygate fines issued by the Met Police may well make Downing Street one of the biggest law-breaking venues in the UK.
“The police investigation has made clear as day that Boris Johnson’s government wilfully broke the rules it expected everyone else to follow.
“With the Met investigation now over, Boris Johnson must immediately come before Parliament to explain his misconduct and to also immediately publish the Sue Gray report in full – there can be no delays or excuses.”
Minister George Eustice said there had been “failings”, but the PM had apologised for everything that
Industrial scale rule breaking has taken place at the heart of Downing St