A further 26 fixed penalty notices have been issued by police to those in Westminster who breached lockdown rules by holding or attending parties in and around Downing Street. The new fines mean the Met Police's investigation into Covid-19 breaches has now concluded.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said a second fine has not been issued to Boris Johnson, adding: “The Met has confirmed that they are taking no further action with regards to the Prime Minister.”
Scotland Yard confirmed it had issued 126 fines to 53 men and 73 women - with some people getting more than one - over law-breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall on eight separate dates during the pandemic. Police were looking at 12 parties on these eight dates, but they have not confirmed which gatherings have resulted in fines.
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In a statement, Acting Deputy Commissioner Helen Ball, of the Met, said: "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.
"When Covid regulations were introduced, the Met was clear that whilst we would not routinely investigate breaches of regulations retrospectively, there may be occasions when it would be appropriate to do so. The information that we received with regard to the alleged breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall was sufficient to reach our criteria to begin such an investigation.
"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."
After the first 100 fines were issued Jacob Rees-Mogg played down their importance, questioning whether "the rules were right in the first place", Wales Online reports.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: "I’m afraid I think this is a non-story. I mean, the BBC has absolutely loved it but what is important is that we get on with the business of government."
Pressed on whether he had seen that people including bereaved families were "devastated" they had observed the Government’s rules while those in power were breaking them, he said: I think people were upset. I think this was an important story in February when it first became known and that there was great concern, and there was a feeling of people who were bereaved, particularly, about it."
He added: "We need to look at whether these rules were right in the first place in case we have a pandemic again because I think they were too restrictive."
It comes after former Conservative foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt warned the Tories have "a big mountain to climb" to win another term as he refused to rule out a contest for the top job before the 2024 election.
Amid the episode’s fallout and following bruising losses in last week’s local elections, Mr Hunt told The Times Magazine it was not the "right time" for a leadership change due to the war in Ukraine. He added: "But I would be very open with you that I don’t rule out a return in the future."
Speaking to Times Radio, he also said the "setbacks" the party suffered in the local elections were not just "mid-term blues" but reflected the cost-of-living crisis. He said: "Underneath it, I think the reason that we got such a kicking was economic concerns that many families had.
"We are faced with a situation now where we have very, very low underlying growth in the economy. To win an election, the Conservative Party has to promise a well-funded NHS and the prospect of tax cuts. If we make people choose between one or the other, we’re not going to win the election."
Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were hit with fixed penalty notices in April over a birthday party held for the Prime Minister in No 10’s Cabinet Room in June 2020. Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said Mr Johnson broke his own rules on a "record-breaking scale", adding that "Britain deserves better".
Home Secretary Priti Patel failed to say whether or not she still supported Mr Johnson. Health Secretary Sajid Javid also chose not to answer when asked why the PM would not resign, despite Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to do so if he is handed a fixed penalty notice over similar allegations.
There have been ongoing calls for the PM to resign over the saga from opposition MPs, as well as his own back benches, but he has repeatedly said he is determined to get on with the job.
In addition to the Scotland Yard probe and the investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the partygate claims, the PM is facing a third inquiry by the Privileges Committee into whether he misled Parliament with his repeated assurances that Covid rules were followed in No 10.
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