Boris Johnson escapes more fines in Downing Street parties probe

Scotland Yard announced it has issued 126 fixed-penalty notices (FPNs) to 83 people at events spanning eight separate days when lockdown restrictions were in place. 

The force revealed that 48 women received a total of 73 FPNs, while 35 men received a total of 53.

The Prime Minister has not received any further fines after being handed one for an event on his 56th birthday, Number 10 confirmed. The Tory leader has been told he faces “no further action”, Downing Street said. He was at six events which were investigated by officers.

The conclusion of Operation Hillman into partygate allegations paves the way for the publication of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s inquiry.

No 10 said it will publish the full report “as soon as possible” after she hands it over.

It is understood the Prime Minister’s wife Carrie Johnson has also been told she faces no further action while Chancellor Rishi Sunak was also yet to receive another fine, after both were fined over the Prime Minister’s birthday gathering in June 2020.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman commented: “The Met has confirmed that they are taking no further action with regards to the Prime Minister.”

Asked if Johnson was relieved by the outcome of the inquiry, the spokesman said: “He’s pleased the investigation’s concluded but at no point has it distracted him from the important issues facing the country.”

The Met’s acting deputy commissioner Helen Ball said it was possible people will receive fines in the next 48 hours. And she said 28 people had received between two and five fines.

“We have no objections at all to Sue Gray publishing her report and she will make her decisions now as to the next steps she wants to take, I’m sure,” she added.

Police refused to confirm the identity of any of those involved.

Gray was forced to delay the full publication of her investigation due to the Metropolitan Police commencing their own probe.

In an interim report published in January, the Cabinet Office official said there had been “failures of leadership and judgment” in No 10 over the so-called partygate saga.

The Times, citing an official it described as being familiar with the contents of the complete report, has said Gray’s full findings were even more personally critical of the Prime Minister and could finish his premiership.

According to the paper, the official said: “Sue’s report is excoriating. It will make things incredibly difficult for the Prime Minister.

“There’s an immense amount of pressure on her — her report could be enough to end him.”

READ MORE: Tory civil war flares up as MSP insists Boris Johnson must resign

No 10 declined to comment.

Labour have called for the full publication of the Gray inquiry.

Deputy leader Angela Rayner 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 record-breaking scale. Britain deserves better.”

LibDem leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: “Boris Johnson’s Downing Street was fined more times for breaking Covid laws than any other address in the country.

“The full Sue Gray report should now be published without delay.

“The public made huge sacrifices while Boris Johnson partied, they deserve the full truth.”

Eight events between May 2020 and April 2021 have been the subject of fines.

The total number of individuals to have received fines was unclear, but the Met said 73 fines were issued to women and 53 to men.

Police investigated two rule-breaking events on November 13, 2020, including one in the Prime Minister’s Downing Street flat.

But the Met has not clarified whether a fine was issued over the flat gathering, or whether fines on that day related to the leaving do for Lee Cain, who was exiting as No 10’s director of communications.

It was clear, however, that fines were issued for the “bring your own booze” party held in the Downing Street garden on May 20, 2020.

At the Met’s last update on May 12, the force made referrals for more than 100 FPNs to the Acro Criminal Records Office.

Scotland Yard declined to identify anyone involved in the investigation but disclosed that it cost around £460,000.

A team of 12 detectives examined 345 documents, including emails, door logs, diary entries, witness statements and 204 questionnaires. They also examined 510 photographs and CCTV images.

There were no interviews under caution, with officers instead relying on answers to questionnaires.

Six separate types of offending were identified, including breaching rules for holding an indoor gathering of multiple people, including when London was under Tier 4 restrictions.

Ball added: “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.

“Our investigation was thorough and impartial and was completed as quickly as we could, given the amount of information that needed to be reviewed and the importance of ensuring that we had strong evidence for each FPN referral.

“This investigation is now complete.”

Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said the partygate fines showed Johnson had issued a “barefaced lie” when he insisted there was no rulebreaking in Downing Street.

She told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “Based on the 126 fines from the parties at No 10, just looking at the sheer scale of lawbreaking which has been laid bare by the police, what we know now with absolute certainty is that when Boris Johnson came to the House of Commons and said there were no parties at Downing Street and no rule shad been broken, that was a barefaced lie.

“There is no possible way in which he can claim he was unaware that these parties didn’t break the rules.

“It’s always been the most important point and he should resign.”