Met investigating two Tory Partygate allegations - but no further action over Chequers events – as it happened

Metropolitan Police officers outside the Houses of Parliament. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

6.23pm BST

Early evening summary

• Police are investigating alleged breaches of Covid regulations at a Christmas party at Conservative headquarters and a gathering of Tory MPs in parliament in December 2020, Scotland Yard has said. However, the Metropolitan police and Thames Valley will not be investigating alleged breaches at Downing Street and at Chequers involving Boris Johnson between June 2020 and May 2021. (See 5.22pm.)

• Rishi Sunak has angrily denied being an absentee prime minister who routinely misses Commons scrutiny and sensitive votes as he endured sometimes turbulent questioning from senior MPs.

• The private bank Coutts is understood to have shut Nigel Farage’s bank account after he fell below the prestigious lender’s wealth requirements, raising questions over the Brexiter’s claims that the bank was targeting him over his political views.

• More councils could be at risk of insolvency over the coming months as local authorities in England struggle to fill a £3bn funding black hole caused by inflationary costs and soaring demand for services, town hall leaders have said.

People demonstrating against the extension of the Ulez low emission zone outside the high court today, where five Tory councils began a legal challenge against the policy. Photograph: Lucy North/PA

Updated at 6.26pm BST

6.03pm BST

Shaun Bailey should not be allowed to take seat in Lords while Partygate investigation ongoing, say Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats have said Rishi Sunak should stop Shaun Bailey taking his seat in the House of Lords while a party held by his London mayoral campaign team, which he attended for at least some of the evening, is being investigated by the Met. Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said:

Once again Conservative politicians are facing allegations they broke the rules we were all asked to follow.

Rishi Sunak needs to confirm he will call for honours to be stripped from anyone found to have broken the law. Anything less would make a complete mockery of his pledge to lead with integrity.

He should also step in to stop Shaun Bailey from taking his seat as a peer while this investigation takes place. There’s no way that Shaun Bailey should be allowed to join the House of Lords while he’s under police investigation.