Downing Street has provoked fury by refusing to reveal the names of anyone in Downing Street who is handed a fixed penalty notice over the 'partygate' lockdown breaches.
Scotland Yard confirmed it will not name anyone given a fixed penalty notice (FPN) as a result of its investigation after Boris Johnson’s press official refused to guarantee Downing Street would tell the public if fines were issued for breaches for the covid rules.
It raises the possibility the public might never be told if the Prime Minister is found to have broken the law in a move which Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said “stinks of a cover-up by Number 10”.
The Met said on Tuesday afternoon it would be following the usual practise of not naming anyone issued with an fixed penalty notice.
Asked if No 10 would disclose this information, the spokesman said: “I’m not going to get into speculating. It’s a matter for the police what they say with that regard.”
The spokesman also said the fact that the police are investigating 12 events does not necessarily mean the rules were broken.
He said: “The police have said this does not itself mean that they will decide to take further action or that there has necessarily been a breach of regulations,” he said.
Sue Gray’s report into partygate revealed police are investigating at least three gatherings where the prime minister was in attendance
In total the Met is looking into 12 parties and examining around 300 photographs as part of the investigation.
Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, earlier appeared to suggest that the results of the police investigation should be made public.
Speaking to the BBC, Raab said: “Justice must be done and seen to be done.”
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