Johnson to face no further fines as partygate probe ends
The Prime Minister will face no further fines over the so-called ‘partygate’ scandal after the Met closed its investigation into Downing Street parties today, a government spokeperson confirmed.
The force said its investigation had now concluded with a total of 126 people fined – 73 women and 53 men – with some culprits slapped with multiple fines.
But asked today whether the Prime Minister had faced further fines, a spokesperson said: “No, and the Met has confirmed that they are taking no further action with regards to the Prime Minister.”
Johnson has already been hit with one fine for a birthday party that took place in the cabinet room, with the Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Johnson’s wife Carries also with fixed penalty notices.
The Met said this morning it would not be confirming the identity of anyone fined in the latest batch. Acting Deputy Commissioner Helen Ball, of the Met said the force was “thorough and “impartial” and had acted as quickly as it could complete the investigation.
The conclusion of ‘Operation Hillman’, the codename used by the Met for the investigation, now paves the way for the publication of the much anticipated report from senior civil servant Sue Gray, who was forced to shelve her report while the Met investigated breaches of covid rules.
A source close to the investigation told Sky News today that Gray’s report was now likely to be published in full next week.
Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner called for the publication of the report today aafter what she said was “industrial scale rule breaking” in Downing Street.
“We must now urgently see the Sue Gray report published in full. It’s time for the Prime Minister to stop hiding,” she said.
“While the British people sacrificed so much, Boris Johnson’s Downing Street broke the rules at record-breaking scale. Britain deserves better.”