Cabinet minister Sajid Javid has repeatedly dodged questions of whether Boris Johnson presided over “widespread criminality” in No 10 as the Metropolitan Police continue their partygate probe.
It comes after a former government ethics chief admitted she was among the first batch of people to receive a fixed-penalty notice from the force, which is investigating 12 separate events held during Covid restrictions.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, suggested earlier this week that the prime minister had misled the public over the scandal, and claimed he had presided over “widespread criminality” in No 10.
Pressed on the comment, Mr Javid, the health secretary, said there were events that took place during the height of the Covid pandemic that “are being properly investigated” by Scotland Yard.
“They should be investigated by the proper authorities and that’s exactly what’s happening,” he said.
“This is really a matter for the police. I don’t think it’s appropriate for any minister, including myself, to talk about what the police may, or may not do.”
Asked a second time whether Mr Johnson presided “over widespread criminality”, he replied: “When you ask me about matters of the law this is rightly in a democracy… it is a matter for the independent police.”
Despite Helen McNamara, a former deputy cabinet secretary, publicly apologising and admitting she had paid a fine, Mr Javid added: “I know what the police have published, I know nothing more or less then that.
“I have no idea who has received those fines, or not. I hesitate to comment on this further.”
Quizzed a third time on Sir Keir’s comment, the cabinet minister said the public will learn more from the police and a final report from Sue Gray — the Whitehall mandarin responsible for investigating events before the Metropolitan Police launched their investigation two months ago.
Mr Javid’s remarks come after both Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, and Anne Marie-Trevelyan, accepted the law was broken after the Metropolitan Police said it would be issuing an initial batch of 20 fines.
However, despite repeated questioning, No 10 has refused to endorse the view, insisting it was for the Met police to “make that judgement” and said the prime minister would comment when the probe concludes.
The identities of people issued with fixed-penatly notices will not be disclosed by the Metropolitan Police, although No 10 has said it will confirm if either Mr Johnson or cabinet secretary Simon Case are handed a fine.
According to The Guardian, the government, however, is refusing to disclose any photographs taken by the prime minister’s taxpayer-funded photographers of the events under question.
The newspaper said the Cabinet Office had refused to confirm or deny the existence of any photographs of parties after a request made under freedom of information laws.
Labour’s Angela Rayner has responded, saying: “The Downing Street photographer is funded by the taxpayer. The public have every right to see the photos that their hard-earned money has paid for.”
