LONDON | London police announced on Thursday the conclusion of their investigation into the scandal of parties organized in Downing Street despite the confinements, with a total of 126 fines for eight events having violated the health rules against Covid.
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The end of this investigation means that the British will know before long if Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has already been fined for his attendance at a surprise party for his 56th birthday in June 2020, has been sanctioned for his presence at other events.
The 126 fines correspond to eight different dates, ranging from May 20, 2020 to April 16, 2021, following an investigation in which the police examined 345 documents, 510 photos and CCTV images and went through 204 questionnaires.
Some of those fined received more than one fine, police said in a statement.
Boris Johnson had apologized “unreservedly” to Parliament after receiving the fine and ruled out resigning, in the face of repeated calls from the opposition to do so.
The Tory leader said it “did not occur to him then or afterwards” that his attendance at the brief gathering on his birthday “could constitute a breach of the rules” then in force.
The end of the police investigation will also allow the publication of the full report of senior civil servant Sue Gray, in charge of an internal investigation into this subject.
A preliminary report, redacted of all details so as not to interfere with the police investigation, denounced “errors of leadership and judgment”. He had thus given a glimpse of his appreciation of what was at stake behind the walls of Downing Street, contrasting with the sacrifices made by the British to fight against the pandemic.
The deputies have also triggered the opening of a parliamentary inquiry to determine whether Boris Johnson knowingly deceived them in this affair, by repeatedly asserting that all the rules had been respected.
The ministerial code provides that a minister who has deliberately deceived Parliament must resign. The parliamentary inquiry will only begin once the police investigation is complete and Sue Gray delivers her final report.
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