Boris Johnson demanded an emphasis on “bigger fines” as he unwound lockdown restrictions in the summer of 2020, the Covid Inquiry has heard.
In a handwritten note shown to the inquiry on Thursday afternoon, the then-prime minister wrote: “I agree with the openings but the OVERRIDING MESSAGE should be about tougher enforcement and BIGGER FINES.”
Lead counsel to the inquiry Hugo Keith KC asked former home secretary Dame Priti Patel to put aside the “crushing irony” of Mr Johnson’s note as he asked her about putting the message into practice.
Mr Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson, themselves received £50 fines for a now-infamous surprise birthday party held for him in Downing Street on June 19, 2020.
Dame Priti went on to say the hefty £10,000 fine introduced for breaches of coronavirus regulations was not proportionate.
Questioned by Mr Keith on whether the flat fine of £10,000 introduced in August 2020 was proportionate, Dame Priti said: “It was very high.”
Pressed again on whether it was proportionate, the former home secretary said: “The answer is no.”
