Police have handed out dozens of further fines as the investigation into 'partygate' continues. Scotland Yard said officers have now made more than 50 referrals for fixed penalty notices to the ACRO Criminal Records Office over breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street.
It comes after reports last week that people who attended a leaving party for a senior official who helped shape the government’s response to the pandemic are among those handed fines. The Daily Telegraph reported that fines have been issued to attendees of a drinks event held for Kate Josephs in the Cabinet Office on December 17 2020 - at a time when London was under Tier 3 restrictions and indoor socialising was banned.
The Met Police has previously said that the identities of people issued with FPNs will not be disclosed. However, Downing Street has said it will confirm if either Boris Johnson or Cabinet Secretary Simon Case are handed a fine.
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In a statement today, the Met Police said: “The investigation into allegations of breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street continues to progress. As of Tuesday, 12 April 2022, we have made over 50 referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPN) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations who, following the referral, issue the FPNs to the individual."
The force said the investigation is progressing "at speed" and that "significant amounts of investigative material" are being assessed. Further fines may still be issued, the statement added.
Downing Street confirmed on Monday that Mr Johnson is at Chequers this week, with a view to having “a bit of a break” for a couple of days. A No 10 spokesperson said Mr Johnson intends to “get some rest and spend some time with family”.
Last week, a former senior official became the first person to confirm they had received an FPN as a result of the partygate investigation. Former deputy cabinet secretary and Whitehall ethics chief Helen MacNamara said she was “sorry for the error of judgment I have shown”.
She was reported to have received the fine in connection with a leaving do held in the Cabinet Office on June 18 2020. Ms MacNamara, who now works for the Premier League, said: “I am sorry for the error of judgment I have shown. I have accepted and paid the fixed penalty notice.”
The Telegraph reported that Ms MacNamara, who was in charge of Whitehall propriety and ethics at the time, was given a £50 fine after police concluded she had broken Covid laws by attending a leaving party for Hannah Young, a Downing Street aide, who was moving to New York to take up a role with the British Consulate General. Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that others had been fined for a gathering held on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last year.
In the meantime, ministers have sought to play down the impact of the partygate row on Mr Johnson’s leadership. Cabinet minister Simon Hart said the “world has moved on” from the saga, while Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested Mr Johnson had not misled Parliament over the row because he had simply been repeating incorrect information provided to him by officials.
No 10 has declined to say whether Mr Johnson believes coronavirus laws were broken. His official spokesman said the PM "wants to comment at the conclusion of the process and not at the middle of it".
The Met is investigating 12 events, including as many as six that Mr Johnson is said to have attended, and has sent out more than 100 questionnaires to people allegedly involved. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson "has presided over widespread criminality in his home and his office" and called for the names of all senior officials fined for Downing Street parties to be made public.
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