Former Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey will face no action by police over a mid-lockdown gathering. Mr Bailey was seen alongside Tory aides raising glasses beside buffet food at Conservative Party headquarters while London was under coronavirus rules.
None of the attendees will face action from Scotland Yard. Several wore festive hats as they smiled for the camera and one had a House of Commons Christmas jumper on at the December 2020 event.
On Friday, the Metropolitan Police said there was "insufficient evidence to disprove the version of events provided by attendees". Mr Bailey apologised “unreservedly” for the event organised by his campaign team and said it was a “serious error of judgment”.
The Times reported that a “raucous” party took place in the basement while Tier 2 restrictions were in place. After investigating, the Met said the "photo by itself is not sufficient evidence on which to assess that an offence had been committed”.
Questions over the event at CCHQ in Westminster were raised after it emerged that Boris Johnson has put Mr Bailey forward for a peerage in his resignation honours list. Mr Bailey, who remains a London Assembly Member, resigned as chairman of the governing body’s Police and Crime Committee after the picture emerged.
The Met issued 126 fines over rule breaches in Whitehall and Downing Street while Mr Johnson was prime minister, in a scandal that helped end his tenure in No 10. Mr Johnson and his then-chancellor Rishi Sunak paid fixed-penalty notices over a gathering held for Mr Johnson’s 56th birthday.
