LONDON — London’s Metropolitan Police are set to issue at least 20 fines to government officials close to the prime minister who broke U.K. lockdown rules, according to a person familiar with their thinking.
The first batch of fines are expected to be levied as soon as Tuesday, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing police business. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is unlikely to be touched by Tuesday’s tranche of fines, the person said. Some people may face more than one fine, they said.
The police have been investigating a dozen gatherings on government premises, including the prime minister’s apartment, following a spate of reports that officials held boozy parties while the rest of the country was under lockdown to contain the coronavirus.
The prime minister has repeatedly said he was assured that no rules were broken and that he understood that an event he attended was a work gathering. A spokesman for the police said the force won’t be offering a running commentary on the probe and the prime minister’s office declined to comment officially on the latest report.
The fallout from the so-called Partygate scandal was the most serious in a string of scandals that brought Johnson to the brink during the first weeks of the year as several Tory MPs called for him to step down. Since then, the war in Ukraine has shifted attention away from the prime minister’s domestic problems and offered him a chance to reset. An unpopular fiscal statement from Johnson’s political heir apparent, Rishi Sunak, has appeared to cement the premier’s position for now.
The Guardian reported earlier Monday that the police had concluded laws were broken and were set to issue some fines. A report into partying in Downing Street during lockdown slammed “failures of leadership and judgment” at the top of his government and criticized “excessive” drinking.
London’s Metropolitan Police have been investigating 12 lockdown gatherings in government buildings, including in Johnson’s own apartment, and have said it’s reviewing “more than 300 images and over 500 pages of information.”
