Boris Johnson spared from UK police fine for breaking Covid rules during Downing Street lockdown parties
- Johnson repeatedly said no rules were broken during ‘work event’, but police are still looking into gatherings at Downing Street, and said further fines could still be issued
- Opposition politicians promptly reiterated their calls for the PM’s resignation following the announcement of the fines
The individuals – who London’s Metropolitan Police did not identify – will be the first to be handed so-called fixed penalty notices over the events, which took place in the heart of the British government while the rest of England was restricted from socialising in groups due to Covid-19.
Fixed penalty notices are issued to people deemed to have broken Covid-19 rules – as well as for some motoring offences and antisocial behaviour. The penalty for taking part in a gathering of more than 15 people is an 800 pound (US$1,050) fine.
The prime minister himself did not receive a fine, his spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters on Tuesday. The prime minister has repeatedly said he was assured no rules were broken and that a gathering he acknowledged attending was a work event. The police said the investigation into a dozen gatherings – including one in Johnson’s apartment – is still running.
“He has set out at all times his understanding of events,” Blain said when asked if Johnson would revise his account in the House of Commons. The premier will give a statement when the police has finished its inquiry, he said.
The fallout from the scandal – dubbed “partygate” by the British media – brought Johnson to the brink during the first weeks of the year, as it compounded a series of other gaffes and missteps that led some members of his ruling Conservative Party to call for his resignation.
