UK Police to probe lockdown parties at Downing Street

By Team Newsable | First Published Jan 25, 2022, 5:25 PM IST

"The Met is currently examining several occurrences that occurred at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to suspected Covid-19 violations," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the London Assembly local body.

London's police chief on Tuesday revealed her investigators are looking into multiple parties that occurred at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office and government agencies amid Covid lockdowns. "The Met is currently examining several occurrences that occurred at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to suspected Covid-19 violations," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the London Assembly local body.

There are allegations that a series of parties were hosted at Downing Street while the rest of the country was under lockdown have rocked Johnson's government in recent weeks, precipitating the greatest crisis of his premiership and calls for his resignation. On Monday night, the most recent disclosures came with accusations that Johnson violated lockdown regulations by hosting a birthday party in Downing Street on June 19, 2020. According to ITV News, up to 30 people were present. Outdoor social events were limited to six individuals at the time. "I should emphasise that the fact that we are currently investigating does not necessarily imply that fixed penalty letters (fines) will be issued in every incident and to every person implicated," Dick told the Assembly's Police and Crime Committee. "We will not provide a continuous update on our ongoing investigations. But I can tell you that we will provide updates at key times, as we always do."

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Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised for attending a "bring your own drink" dinner at his official house during the initial coronavirus lockdown, saying he understood the outrage. He said he understands their wrath at the government when they believe the rules are not being appropriately followed by those who create the rules in Downing Street.

Johnson, who won a landslide election victory in 2019 on a promise to get Britain out of the European Union, said he regretted his conduct and mistaken the gathering at Downing Street for a business function on May 20, 2020.

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