The Metropolitan police are investigating alleged parties at Downing Street and Whitehall where people may have breached Covid laws, the force’s chief, Cressida Dick, has announced in a major intervention. Here we look at what’s happened and what it could mean. What has Dick announced? Speaking at the London Assembly’s police and crime committee on Tuesday, the Met police commissioner said the force was investigating “a number of events” that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in potential breach of Covid-19 regulations over the past two years.
Met officers had looked into several other events in Downing Street and Whitehall, which had been assessed as not reaching the threshold for criminal investigation, Dick said. But she would not say which. In a separate statement, the Met police said: “Where multiple events occurred on a particular date at a location, all the events on that date will initially fall within the remit of the investigation so that the full circumstances can be established. This does not mean that everyone who attended an event will be investigated.” What’s the justification for investigating now and not sooner? Allegations of lockdown parties in Downing Street emerged in December 2021 and have snowballed since. Dick said it would “not normally be” a proportionate use of the force’s resources to investigate historical allegations of Covid breaches. But she told London Assembly members that investigations were carried out for “the most serious and flagrant type of breach” where there was evidence and three criteria were met. “My three factors were and are: there was evidence that those involved knew, or ought to have known that what they were doing was an offence; where not investigating would significantly undermine the legitimacy of the law; and where there was little ambiguity around the absence of any reasonable defence. “So in those cases, where those criteria were met, the guidelines suggested that we should potentially investigate further and end up giving people tickets.” She said specialist detectives had continually considered whether a criminal investigation into any of the Downing Street and Whitehall events was proportionate based on the available information. In recent days, she said, the Cabinet Office had provided outline findings from its inquiry to the Met. This is a reference to the inquiry being led by the senior civil servant Sue Gray. What will this mean for the Gray inquiry? The pivotal inquiry by Gray was expected to be published late this week. But publication will now be delayed until the Met has concluded its investigation, according to sources, which could take weeks. No timeline has been given. Many MPs were awaiting the results of the Gray inquiry before deciding whether to submit letters of no confidence in the prime minister. How serious is this development for the prime minister? Very. The investigation raises the prospect of sanctions for Johnson and his staff if regulations are found to have been breached. Dick raised the prospect of fixed penalty notices being issued for some, but not all, of those attending, depending on the conclusions of the investigation. The launch of a criminal inquiry and delay of the Gray report could create breathing space for Boris Johnson. Some commentators are already arguing the moves will be a form of reprieve for the prime minister, with interest and fury waning by the time the findings are published. But it could also spur MPs to submit their letters now. A total of 54 letters would trigger a no-confidence vote, and the prime minister would be forced to resign if 180 or more MPs vote against him in a secret ballot.