More than 100 Partygate fines issued by Met but Boris not handed punishment

12 May 2022, 10:08 | Updated: 12 May 2022, 11:35

The number of Partygate fines issued by the Met has doubled, the force have said, though Boris Johnson is not thought to be among the new set issued.

More than 100 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have now been handed out in total - more than 50 additional fines since April 12.

Downing Street previously said they would announce if Mr Johnson was fined, but it is understood Boris Johnson has not received another one.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: "As of Thursday 12 May, Operation Hillman, the investigation into breaches of COVID-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street, has made more than 100 referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office.

"These referrals have continued to be made throughout the period since our last update on Tuesday 12 April and the investigation remains live."

The force did not confirm who had received the fines.

Read more: Boris and Rishi say sorry over Partygate fines but insist they won't quit

Officers from Operation Hillman have been investigating allegations of a string of lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.

In April the first batch of 50 fines were issued - including to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Mr Johnson got his over a birthday event in the Cabinet Room in Downing Street, which one Tory MP infamously suggested could have seen the PM get "ambushed" by a cake.

Read more: Boris brushes off claims he's acting 'dishonourably' by not resigning after Starmer pledge

"I visited a school in Hemel Hempstead, which took me out of Downing Street for over four hours and amongst all these engagements on a day that happened to be my birthday, there was a brief gathering in the Cabinet Room shortly after 2pm lasting for less than 10 minutes, during which people I work with kindly passed on their good wishes," he said after the fine was issued in April.

"And I have to say in all frankness at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules."

The Met had issued 20 fines by the end of March, then a further 30 by mid-April.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have sought to embroil Labour in their own Covid rules controversy.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said he would do the "right thing" if he was issued with a fixed penalty notice over a gathering in Labour offices in Durham in April last year.

Durham Constabulary has opened an investigation into the curry and beer event, which Sir Keir has denied any wrongdoing over.

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari during a visit to Finland on Wednesday, Mr Johnson refused four times to answer whether he would quit if Sir Keir ended up resigning.

When he asked the question for a fourth time, the Prime Minister said that Partygate, "however fascinating it is to people", is not "material to the cost of living".