Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick has bowed to mounting pressure to investigate alleged breaches of lockdown rules around Downing Street and Whitehall saying her force was investigating “a number” of parties.
Dick told a hearing at the London Assembly that the Met was acting after receiving information from the Cabinet Office, where Sue Gray, a senior official, is investigating the parties.
“I can confirm that the Met is now investigating a number of events at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to alleged breaches of Covid-19 regulations,” she told the committee.
She added that the force had investigated several other events that appeared to have taken place at Downing Street and Whitehall but had decided that those events did not reach the threshold for criminal investigation.
Gray’s investigation into the so-called partygate scandal has been delayed by the announcement of investigation, which was due to conclude in the coming days. One senior Whitehall official said, “it won’t be published this week”.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said: “The investigation being carried out by Sue Gray is continuing. There is in ongoing contact with the Metropolitan Police Service.”
Those with knowledge of the inquiry said that Gray would examine allegations surrounding Johnson’s birthday party held on June 19 2020.
The party, during England’s first Covid lockdown in 2020 was “almost certainly very unwise”, a cabinet minister loyal to the UK prime minister said.
But Grant Shapps, transport secretary, said the party had been organised by Downing Street staff as a surprise event, as he tried to extricate Johnson from the latest criticism over alleged breaches of lockdown rules.
Shapps is one of a number of ministers loyal to Johnson who have tried to downplay the significance of the event, held in the cabinet room in June 2020, first reported by ITV News and confirmed by the Financial Times.
At the time of the party, indoor social gatherings were banned. Shapps said there were fewer than the 30 people reported to be in attendance at the event, which Downing Street said Johnson attended for less than 10 minutes.
Asked why interior designer Lulu Lytle, who was overseeing the makeover of Johnson’s Downing Street flat was in attendance, Shapps said she had not been invited and “happened to come by” as the party was taking place.
The transport secretary said that on the brink of a war between “two mechanised nations in Europe” — a reference to Ukraine and Russia — he found it regretful that he was “having to talk about our events and interpretations” of “partygate” rather than more important issues.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown, former Labour prime minister, told ITV that Johnson’s apparent lockdown breaches were a “moral issue”. He said: “I could not go to the funeral of a very close relative last year at the same time.”
Johnson loyalists are trying to shore up support among MPs ahead of the publication of Gray’s report. A total of 54 Tory MPs are required to trigger a vote of no confidence in the prime minister.
