Downing St. lockdown parties result in 20 fines

Reviving a politically dangerous scandal for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, London police Tuesday levied 20 fines on people accused of breaching COVID lockdown restrictions by attending social gatherings at 10 Downing St.

The Metropolitan Police Service did not identify who had been fined, prompting an immediate guessing game in British political circles. But the notification that it had issued a first set of fines, known as fixed penalty notices, was confirmation that it had found that the social gatherings at the prime minister's office had violated the law.

The police had issued a questionnaire to Johnson, who was present at several of the gatherings under scrutiny. But the prime minister, who has steadfastly denied he violated any rules, was not among those told that they had been fined, according to Downing Street.

“We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of COVID-19 regulations,” the police force said in a statement, noting it may impose more fines.

It was not clear how many people had been cited — it is possible that some received more than one notice — and police did not say how much the accused would have to pay. Downing Street said it did not know the identities of those who had been fined, and it would not say whether those who had been penalized would keep their jobs.

Still, after facing the looming threat of a noconfidence vote, Johnson's political fortunes have rebounded, largely because the war in Ukraine has eclipsed the outcry over the parties.