Boris Johnson will hire a private lawyer if he is quizzed by police over the Partygate saga.
The Prime Minister is believed to have been at six parties being investigated by the Metropolitan Polic e, including a BYOB drinks do in the Downing Street garden, a birthday gathering in the Cabinet room, and a boozy bash in his No11 flat.
Mr Johnson is expected to appoint a private lawyer to defend him rather than relying on taxpayer-funded legal advisers.
The PM has reportedly lined up legal expert, who will focus on the "unique" situation of Downing Street being his workplace and his home.
“The prime minister will not be winging it,” a source told The Times.
"He will take private legal advice. There are relevant considerations. He is in a unique legal situation because Downing Street is both his workplace and his home.”
The PM's official spokesman said the PM wouldn't be receiving "bespoke legal advice from the legal department" but wouldn't comment further.
Scotland Yard is sending letters to more than 50 people in Westminster asking them to account for potential breaches of the rules, which is expected to include the Prime Minister and his wife Carrie.
Officers from Operation Hillman will be sending "formal questionnaires" asking party-goers for "an account and explanation".
The Met has warned the forms have "legal status and must be answered truthfully".
Rishi Sunak has suggested he does not expect to be contacted - despite previously confirming he attended a birthday do for the PM organised by Mrs Johnson on June 19 2020.
The Chancellor said he had been present at the Cabinet Room on the day in question for a routine Covid meeting.
Mr Sunak told Sky News he had not received a questionnaire from the Met and, asked whether he expected to receive a form to complete, he replied: "No... well, I don't know."
The Treasury chief also said he did not think he had broken Covid rules.
When asked last week about the birthday celebration, at which one minister described the Prime Minister as being "ambushed by cake", Mr Sunak said he went to the Cabinet Room as he had for "100, 200, God knows how many other Covid meetings".
Officials have said the Met Police's Partygate investigation will "not be affected" by Cressida Dick's resignation on Thursday night.
Dame Cressida quit after losing the support of London Mayor Sadiq Khan. She led the force for five years but her tenure was marred by a series of scandals.
Confirming the Met's investigation will continue, Transport Minister Robert Courts said: “Police are very used to handling matters where there are different parties involved.
“They are totally independent and I have absolute confidence in their ability to operationally carry out an investigation.
"So they will do that and they will do that in a way that is independent – that will not be affected by the role at the top of the Met.”
Susan Hall, chair of the London Assembly police and crime committee told Today: “She (Dame Cressida Dick) wouldn’t have been dealing with it anyway; all the work that is in progress will continue.
"What needs to happen now is Sadiq Khan needs to really make sure that we get another commissioner in place as soon as possible.”
Pressed on whether the search for a successor is complicated due the Prime Minister being under investigation, Ms Hall said: “It (the investigation) will continue. She personally doesn’t deal with these things as you know, (it’s) other detectives.
“Everything that’s going on in the police service will continue.”
It comes after Sir John Major accused the PM of breaking the rules in a scathing speech.
Speaking at the Institute for Government, the Tory former PM said: "At No 10, the Prime Minister and officials broke lockdown laws.
"Brazen excuses were dreamed up. Day after day the public was asked to believe the unbelievable. Ministers were sent out to defend the indefensible - making themselves look gullible or foolish."
Mr Johnson has repeatedly denied breaking the rules and he has refused to say whether he will resign if he is fined by police over the Partygate saga.
On Thursday, No 10 said the PM has not yet been contacted by police, but added: "We would look to confirm contact of this sort as relates to the Prime Minister given the significant public interest."
Barrister Adam Wagner suggested the PM could be in line for £10,000 in fines if he is found to have broken the rules.
Scotland Yard has said any punishments are likely to be limited to a fixed penalty notice and it will not name anyone it fines.
However, No10 has promised it will confirm if Boris Johnson receives a fine.
The Mirror first revealed the PM and his Downing Street staff had been accused of breaking Covid rules by attending parties at No 10 in the run-up to Christmas 2020, last November.
Whitehall enforcer Sue Gray revealed the police are investigating 12 events at No 10 and Whitehall during the pandemic for possible breaches of Covid rules.
Cops are reviewing whether to investigate a 13th event - a Christmas quiz in Downing Street - after the Mirror published a bombshell picture of the PM and staff with an open bottle of bubbly.
