Downing Street has backed down after coming under pressure over plans to keep secret any fine imposed on Boris Johnson in the Partygate affair.
The climbdown came less than 24 hours after No 10 was forced into a U-turn over Mr Johnson’s bid to prevent the publication of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s full report on the “failure of leadership” that resulted in 12 government events being investigated by police for potential lockdown breaches.
No 10 sparked fury on Tuesday morning by refusing to commit to making public any fixed penalty notice issued by police to the prime minister or Downing Street staff.
With Scotland Yard saying that the police would not name individuals found to have breached coronavirus regulations, it raised the prospect that the public would never be told if Mr Johnson had been found guilty.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “The public have a right to know if the prime minister is found to have committed an offence by the police.
“No 10 said they would publish the full report. They cannot be allowed to backtrack or hide the results of the police investigation.”
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey also said: “This stinks of a cover-up by No 10. Even Richard Nixon believed a country deserves to know whether their leader is a crook.”
Within hours, Downing Street had backtracked on its position.
A spokesperson said that No 10 would make it known if the PM was fined “given the significant public interest”.
But it remained unclear whether fines imposed – potentially as much as £10,000 – would be kept secret.
The Metropolitan Police is not currently planning to name anyone fined as a result of the investigation, unless they contest the penalty and are prosecuted in open court.
The Independent understands it is planning to make public what fines have been given over which of the 12 gatherings under investigation, but without identifying recipients.
In the first instance, any breaches of Covid laws will be punished using written “fixed penalty notices”, which can range between £100 and £10,000 depending on the date and size of the gathering, and the person’s role.
Where a fine is disputed, police can decide to pursue a prosecution in a magistrates’ court, where the person’s name and details would be made public. But if a fine is paid, no further action is taken.
The Independent understands that Scotland Yard is not planning to name anyone fined over Partygate because it is not its normal practice for fines and other punishments not involving court cases.
