Downing Street workers have been fined for a party the night before Prince Philip’s funeral, Scotland Yard’s first ruling that the Covid law was breached within the No. 10 at the center of government.
After the Guardian revealed that a notice of certain punishment had been handed over to the cabinet office in June 2020 for an aide to Boris Johnson for joining the holiday, sources said that those who took part in the first hour of April 10, 2021, were also warned of fines.
Sitting alone at the funeral of her 73-year-old husband, the incident caused panic because of the Queen’s strict adherence to the rules of social distance and the contradictions between them.
Meanwhile, Downing Street workers were so drunk that they smashed a swing used by Prime Minister’s son Wilf in Garden 10, when a worker was sent to a local supermarket to pack a whole suitcase of wine. And has acted as a DJ.
There were two parties that evening – one for Johnson’s communications director, James Slack, and another for Johnson’s personal photographers.
At the time, England was in the second phase of a strict roadmap to lockdown, which meant all indoor mixing was banned.
Many of those who took part in the 10th April 16th were sent questionnaires by the Mets asking them to provide a reasonable excuse for their presence.
But in an email, Operation Hillman’s team investigating the string of lockdown-busting events told some of them that it was “assessed that there was good reason to believe you had committed a crime in violation of regulations.”
The notice, which was received late last week, added: “In light of this, you will be notified of the issuance of a Final Punishment Notice (FPN), which gives you the opportunity to waive any liability for conviction.” By paying a certain fine. “
Mate said further correspondence confirming the details of the fine would be sent through the ACRO-Criminal Records Issuing Office.
Downing Street declined to comment. The 10 did not apologize to Rani in January after details of the parties.
The apparent confirmation that the Covid Act was breached under No. 10 will raise further questions as to whether Johnson has misled Parliament about the dozens of parties under investigation.
He told Carestarmer during a question from the Prime Minister on 1 December 2021: “All I can say to the rightly respected and wise gentleman is that all the guidelines in No. 10 were followed completely.”
Scotland Yard has said it will not confirm the identities of those who have been fined for the event or who have received specific-fine notices.
A spokesman for the Met told the Guardian: “Unlike other incidents of violation of the Covid regulations, the investigation under Operation Hillman is ongoing and we are not disclosing further details at this time.
“In conclusion, we will review what information may be disclosed while working at NPCC [National Police Chiefs’ Council] A policy of non-disclosure of information that will guide the identification of any person. “
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the imposition of fines for the April 16, 2021 event “confirms what the British public has always known” – that Johnson was “a liar and must resign”.
She told the Guardian: “Emotional images of the Queen sitting alone at her husband’s funeral were a feature of British consciousness through the epidemic.
“Boris Johnson’s Downing Street did not show an ounce of respect for this country. There can be no hiding and no lying. He must go for the good of the country and for all those who lost loved ones during the epidemic. ”
It is believed that those who attended the party on April 16, 2021, were fined within the initial level of 20 announced by the Met on Tuesday.
Johnson and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, the only two people at number 10 to determine whether fines have been imposed, had to withdraw from leading an internal Whitehall party investigation after discovering that a rally was held by his party in December 2020. .
On Sunday, a Labor Front bench called on everyone fined to give their names publicly.
Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News that the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, and others who have been fined should be identified.
“I think those on Downing Street should be named if they are part of it. Because so much dishonesty from the people at the top of Downing Street, the Prime Minister and his immediate circle at the bottom, I think people just want to know what really happened. Let’s keep a little transparency, let’s keep a little honesty. ”
