Scotland Yard has announced 20 penalties will be handed to those deemed to have broken lockdown rules throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, by attending parties at Downing Street and Whitehall.
The fines are a result of a formal investigation which was launched at the turn of the year, after it was revealed that roughly 12 events between the two premises' throughout 2020 and 2021 potentially could have broken rules bestowed by the Government.
The Metropolitan Police said that 20 fixed penalty notices will be referred to the ACRO Criminal Records Office, which will then be responsible for issuing the fines. It added that more referrals may be made in the future.
Read more: Downing Street party fines expected to be issued 'imminently' for lockdown gatherings
In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “The investigation into allegations of breaches of COVID-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street has now progressed to the point where the first referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPN) will be made to ACRO Criminal Records Office.
“We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of Covid-19 regulations. The ACRO Criminal Records Office will then be responsible for issuing the FPNs to the individual following the referrals from the MPS.
“We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed and have completed a number of assessments. However due to the significant amount of investigative material that remains to be assessed, further referrals may be made to ACRO if the evidential threshold is made.”
The force said it will not confirm the number of referrals made from each individual event it is investigating, as providing this breakdown at this point could lead to the individuals involved being identified.
Throughout the inquiry entitled Operation Hillman, officers probed more than 100 Downing Street and Whitehall staff, in the form of questionnaires.
Many Members of Parliament both Conservative and opposition called for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign following the news of the parties coming to light.
