The police probe into allegations of parties in No 10 during Covid restrictions will “not be affected” by the resignation of the Metropolitan Police commissioner.
The vow from the aviation minister, Robert Courts, follows the surprise decision of Dame Cressida Dick to step aside as the country’s most senior police officer.
Announcing her resignation on Thursday evening, Dame Cressida said it was “clear” the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, “no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership”.
The Met police chief will, however, stay in post for a “short period to ensure the stability” of the force while arrangements are made “for a transition to a new commissioner”, she added.
Her move comes in the midst of a politically sensitive investigation into lockdown-busting parties in No 10 during strict Covid measures, with many Conservative MPs reserving judgement on Boris Johnson’s leadership until the probe is complete.
As part of Operation Hillman, the force is expected to contact more than 50 individuals in the Downing Street and Whitehall over a dozen events held in government buildings as the rest of the country were subject to draconian restrictions on socialising.
The Met said earlier this week that those contacted will be sent a questionnaire with “formal legal status”, which will request “an account and explanation of the recipient’s participation in an event”.
Pressed on what Dame Cressida’s resignation from the force meant for the partygate inquiry, Mr Courts told Sky News: “Police are very used to handling matters where there are different parities involved”.
He stressed: “They are totally independent and I have absolute confidence in their ability to carry out an investigation. So they will do that and they will do that in a way that is independent — that will not be affected by the role at the top of the Met.”
According to the latest update from No 10 on Thursday, Mr Johnson had been contacted by the Met police, but his official spokesperson said: “We would look to confirm contact of this sort as relates to the prime minister given the significant public interest”.
They also stressed that the prime minister will not receive “bespoke” legal advice from government lawyers over the Met police probe, but declined to say whether Mr Johnson would seek personal legal advice if contacted by the force.
However, The Times reported on Friday that Mr Johnson has lined up a private legal expert on Covid restrictions to help defend him if he is questioned by the police in the coming weeks.
“The prime minister will not be winging it,” a source told the newspaper.
“He will take private legal advice. There are relevant considerations. He is in a unique legal situation because Downing Street is both his workplace and his home.”
Speaking on Friday, Mr Courts also described Dame Cressida’s resignation as “regrettable” amid signs of tensions between the home secretary, Priti Patel, and Mr Khan over her departure.
It is understood the beleaguered Met chief was called to a meeting with the mayor at 4.30pm on Thursday over the reforms to the force, but declined to attend and offered her resignation instead — catching the Home Office by surprise.
Mr Khan did not inform the home secretary of his intention to request a meeting with the commissioner, according to Home Office source, who said Ms Patel was not impressed by the handling of the situation they described as “rude and unprofessional”.
