UK Politics

The Metropolitan Police is facing a legal challenge over its decision not to launch an investigation into numerous lockdown breaking parties at Downing Street.The move comes as a former chief constable, Sir Peter Fahy, said the force’s approach was becoming “an issue of competence in the police”. Lawyers acting for the Good Law Project issued formal legal proceedings against the Met on Tuesday, alleging that the failure to investigate was unlawful. The service’s decision will now be subject to judicial review.Government officials and the prime minister are alleged to have repeatedly broken Covid restrictions at No.10, hosting parties and cheese and wine evenings throughout lockdown. The gathering include social events to celebrate Christmas, as well as a “bring your own booze” drinks on 20 May which the prime minister and his wife reportedly attended.The Met has however resisted opening a formal investigation into the events despite many other people hosting parties around the same dates receiving hefty fines.Questions have also been raised about why police officers guarding Downing Street did not spot and report an apparent crime in progress at the time.It was reported overnight that the Met is in contact with the Cabinet Office over the 20 May event.Sir Peter, who previously headed Greater Manchester Police, told Times Radio on Tuesday that “questions have been asked why the police are not investigating”. “Normally, if an organisation is thought to have breached the law, you don’t normally leave it for that organisation to go away and investigate it themselves and wait for the result,” he said.”And I think obviously, some people have said there’s quite a lot of police officers on duty, around Number 10, why did they not realise that there was something going on and report it or at least give advice that this shouldn’t be going on? “So I think, unfortunately, it’s becoming, you know, as well as an issue of political confidence, one of competence in the police and almost the investigation system.”Sir Peter said he understood the force’s initial decision not to investigate but that it needed “to give a very full statement about their decision making, probably in consultation with a Crown Prosecution Service, and with the Mayor of London so that “the public do understand the reasoning as to why they’re going to investigate or not investigate”.Jo Maugham, director of Good Law Project, said: “You can have the rule of law, or you can defer to the powerful. But you can’t have both. Cressida Dick’s cat will know that multiple criminal offences were committed. “It shames the Met, and ultimately all of us, that she refuses to investigate.” More

The inquiry into lockdown-busting No 10 parties will be “paused” if the police investigate, a minister says – potentially giving Boris Johnson breathing space.Michael Ellis, the paymaster general, warned of the possible delay as he answered an urgent question in the Commons, to the fury of MPs who lashed at the prime minister for ducking the clash.One Tory MP, Peter Bone, said he was “slightly worried” by the prospect of Sue Gray shelving her own inquiry, calling for her report to be published “quickly”.A second, Christopher Chope, questioned why the revelation of the gathering in the garden on 20 May had only emerged now, asking: “Why can’t all the dirty linen be washed at once.”Mr Johnson is refusing to answer questions about his involvement in the party – despite calls from senior Tories to front up – on the grounds that Ms Gray is investigating.Mr Ellis was asked if he will resign if he is found to have broken the law, but told MPs: “It’s an entirely hypothetical position – the prime minister is going nowhere.”“The prime minster retains the confidence of the people of this country,” the paymaster general added – to laughter in the Commons.Mr Ellis also refused to reveal whether he had asked if Mr Johnson attended the party, before being sent to face questions about it, telling MPs: “I’m not going to disclose personal conversations.”On Monday night, Scotland Yard said it is “in contact with the Cabinet Office’ about “alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street on 20 May 2020”.The Metropolitan Police is under pressure to step in, after widespread criticism of its refusal to investigate previous allegations of parties breaching Covid rules.Mr Ellis told MPs: “If evidence emerges of what was a potentially criminal offence the matter would be referred to the Metropolitan Police and the Cabinet Office’s work may be paused.” Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, told Mr Ellis: “There’s no need for an investigation into the simple central question today: did the prime minister attend the event in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020?“It won’t wash to blame this on a few junior civil servants, the prime minister sets the tone. If the prime minister was there, surely he knew?“The invitation was sent to 100 staff, many of them his own most personal senior appointees, this was organised in advance – so did the prime minister know about the event beforehand and did he give his permission for it go ahead?”Ms Rayner also demanded to know what the chancellor knew about the party “given that he lives and works next door”? More

Senior Conservatives have urged Boris Johnson to own up to whether he attended a lockdown rule breaking party at No.10.Former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said the prime minister did not need to wait for the outcome of an investigation before admitting his attendance.And Lord Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, echoed the sentiment, stating: “Let me put this politely: it is not entirely clear why the Prime Minister needs to wait for Sue Gray’s report to find out if he went to a party in his own garden.”Meanwhile, the leader of Conservatives in Sunderland said that the party story was “an atrocity” and that Mr Johnson will have to lose his job as prime minister as a result.“I can’t see how he can continue,” Cllr Antony Mullen told BBC Radio 4’s World at One. It seems pretty obvious to me that Sue Gray’s report will now likely find that he’s misled the House of Commons.“I just think this is such an atrocity, I can’t see how he can survive. People are asking what the hell he’s doing and why he’s being allowed to continue. I’m not willing to defend the indefensible and none of our members here are either.”Boris Johnson and his spokespeople has refused to comment on the matter on the basis that a civil service investigation into it is ongoing. But Ms Davidson said: “This line won’t survive 48 hours. Nobody needs an official to tell them if they were at a boozy shindig in their own garden. “People are rightly furious. They sacrificed so much – visiting sick or grieving relatives, funerals. What [the f***] were any of these people thinking?”The prime minister and his wife were said to have attended the event of around 40 people on 20 May 2020.The leaked email invite from Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds for the gathering, which was obtained by ITV News says: “Hi all,“After what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening.“Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”Some people with knowledge of the inner workings of Downing Street have commented that the prime minister was likely to have been behind the plans.Former special adviser Claire Pearsall told Sky News that a private secretary like Mr Reynolds was unlikely to have organised such a drinks unless “the instruction came from the top”.”The private secretary works on behalf of the PM in this case,” she added.That event came just five days after another gathering in No.10’s garden where Mr Johnson and wife Carrie Johnson were pictured having cheese and wine. The events are separate from the various lockdown-breaking Christmas parties and leaving drinks which took place at the address.The Tory mayor of West Midlands, Andy Street, said he was “shocked” by Mr Reynolds’ email.“When I read it last night, I was shocked,” Mr Street told World at One. “It is from a civil servant. What we don’t know is the degree to which the prime minister knew about this. That’s why the inquiry’s got to be done and we will need to get the facts through that.” More

Watch live as Labour asks urgent question in parliament about No10 partyBoris Johnson’s failure to answer reports he attended a lockdown-breaching party in Downing Street “speaks volumes”, Angela Rayner has said.After asking him to make a statement on the matter, the Labour deputy leader told the Commons that his absence was “incredibly disappointing, but not unsurprising”, adding that “he can run but he can’t hide”. Her comments came after the prime minister expressed “full confidence” in Martin Reynolds, the civil servant who organised the alleged gathering in Downing Street on 20 May 2020. No 10 has so far refused to comment on the new party claim. An email, sent by Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary Mr Reynolds – and leaked to ITV News yesterday – said 100 people were invited. It is understood that up 30 people attended the event, with multiple sources saying the PM was among them.Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer has called on the prime minister to “stop lying” to the British public and to “finally come clean”.Show latest update

1641910733Welsh minister condemns PM over lockdown party The prime minister is not just being slated in Westminster. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the Welsh health minister Eluned Morgan condemned the prime minister over reports he broke lockdown rules by joining a party in his Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020. “If we remember back to what was happening in May 2020, it was about the most acute time in the whole crisis,” Baroness Morgan said. “I just think about the sacrifices that so many people in Wales made at that time. Sacrifices of not being able to say goodbye face to face to loved ones in hospitals, sacrifices people made in terms of not being able to leave their homes to see loved ones, not being able to reach out for the support that so many people wanted at that time.“To have that juxtaposed with a situation where within Downing Street a party was going on really defies belief.”Rory Sullivan11 January 2022 14:181641909829Best lines from Downing Street party debate Here are some of the best lines from this afternoon’s debate on the new party allegations against the prime minister. – Former Labour minister Dame Angela Eagle told the Commons: “Perhaps it would be faster if Sue Gray were to investigate the days there weren’t parties.”- SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: “The harsh reality is that people round these islands watched loved ones dying, and missing funerals, and the PM and his staff partied behind the walls of his private garden.”- Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope asked paymaster general Michael Ellis: “Why can’t all the dirty linen be washed at once? Why are we getting this drip, drip feed of parties? Surely the civil service must have known that there was a party on May 20 and they should have referred it already to the inquiry.”Rory Sullivan11 January 2022 14:031641908812Watch: Rayner says PM’s absence from Commons ‘speaks volumes’Earlier this afternoon, Labour’s Angela Rayner said Boris Johnson’s decision not to appear in the Commons to address his alleged lockdown breach “speaks volumes”. Watch her statement here: Rayner says Johnson’s absence from Urgent Questions ‘speaks volumes’Rory Sullivan11 January 2022 13:461641908202MP overcome with emotion in tribute to mother-in-law who died ‘alone’ of CovidIn the most moving moment of this afternoon’s debate on the No 10 drinks party, a DUP polician spoke about his mother-in-law’s death from Covid-19. Jim Shannon MP was overcome with emotion as he discussed how she had died “alone”. “In Northern Ireland we reached the milestone of 3,000 deaths due to Covid just last week. Including my mother-in-law, who died alone,” he said. Rory Sullivan11 January 2022 13:361641907373Met Police warned public against breaching lockdown on day of Downing Street partyOn 20 May 2020, the Metropolitan Police reminded Britons they were only allowed to meet up with one person outdoors. The same day, dozens of people are thought to have gathered for an event in the garden at Downing Street. Aisha Rimi has more details: Rory Sullivan11 January 2022 13:221641906659Boris Johnson is stepping out of the frying pan, into the fireThe leadership qualities needed in times like these include a fine sense of diplomacy, a natural talent for prioritising, and a flair for the bigger picture. It is not clear that he has any of them, writes Marie Le Conte.Read Marie’s full piece here: Matt Mathers11 January 2022 13:101641905988Watch: PM held No10 party because he ‘felt sorry’ for staff, says Tory MPTory MP Michael Fabricant has taken an unusual position over reports that the prime minister attended an illegal gathering in Downing Street in May 2020. Boris Johnson’s “failing” was “loyalty to his friends and loyalty to his staff”, Mr Fabricant said. Listen to the MP for Lichfield’s full comments here: Boris Johnson held No10 party because he ‘felt sorry’ for staff, says Tory MPRory Sullivan11 January 2022 12:591641905162Boris Johnson ‘running scared’ from parliament, say Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats have accused the prime minister of “running scared” from parliament, after he failed to turn up to answer an urgent question from Labour about an illegal gathering at Downing Street. Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats’ chief whip, said: “Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to hide the truth from the public and parliament any longer.“He is running scared of today’s debate, while using Sue Gray’s inquiry as a smokescreen and hoping the issue will just go away.”Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports: Rory Sullivan11 January 2022 12:461641904859Protocol solution must be found before NI assembly election, Ireland’s EU commissioner saysIreland’s EU commissioner has said the UK and Brussels must find a solution to the row over Brexit’s Northern Ireland protocol before the assembly elections later this year.Mairead McGuinness, the EU financial services commissioner, said on Tuesday that she hopes the appointment of Liz Truss to the role of Brexit negotiator will bring some “pragmatism to the situation”.She said: “They probably reflect the current view, if you like, as was held by her predecessor, but, on the other hand, I’m hoping that Liz Truss will also bring some pragmatism to the situation.”The senior EU official said Northern Ireland needs a solution to the protocol impasse “before we get into campaign mode for the assembly elections”.Matt Mathers11 January 2022 12:401641904800PM’s absence from Commons ‘speaks volumes’, says RaynerAngela Rayner has just asked the prime minister to make a statement about allegations a large event was held in the garden at Downing Street on 20 May 2020. Boris Johnson, however, was not in the Commons to respond. “His absence speaks volumes,” Ms Rayner said. Instead, it fell to Michael Ellis MP, the paymaster general, to speak for the government. He said it “would not be appropriate” to comment on an ongoing investigation.With his words drowned out by the opposition benches, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told MPs to keep the noise down. “He’s got a tough job as it is. Don’t make it harder,” he said, referring to Mr Ellis. Rory Sullivan11 January 2022 12:40 More

Boris Johnson held a lockdown-busting party in his No 10 garden because he “felt sorry” for his hardworking staff, a Tory MP says.Michael Fabricant defended the gathering in May 2020 – while other Conservatives criticised the prime minister – but admitted there might be a problem “from the rules point of view”.But he came under fire for claiming the event “would not have increased the risk of contagion” and was an escape valve for “key workers” working in Downing Street.Jacqui Smith, the former Labour home secretary was among a deluge of people who responded to tweets posted by the colourful MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire.Ms Smith, who worked for a hospital trust in Birmingham during the first lockdown, told him: “Michael. Now you’re just making me angry.”She said the argument would also have applied to staff at that trust, but added: “They wouldn’t have dreamt of organising a byob [bring your own booze] party!”Speaking on BBC News, Mr Fabricant said “exhausted” No 10 staff were “working 18 hours” – and that Mr Johnson’s “failing” was “loyalty to his friends and loyalty to his staff”.“From the rules point of view, that’s going to be decided by Sue Gray [the civil servant leading the inquiry] and the Metropolitan Police and we’ll have to see what happens,” he said.“What I’m trying to explain is that Boris and others felt sorry for people who are working long, long hours and they were simply spilling out from their own offices into a secure garden, which is an integral part of number 10 Downing Street.“And you know what? I’d rather have a prime minister who felt for his staff and all those hard-working people than some cold fish who really couldn’t care a toss about them.”more follows More

Boris Johnson’s ethical adviser has said he expects to be given “considerably greater” authority, independence and power as a result of the spat over the prime minister’s flat refurbishment.The comments came in response to a letter from a parliamentary watchdog committee asking Christopher Geidt whether he felt he should be allowed to launch his own inquiries into allegations of ministerial wrongdoing.Lord Geidt’s response appears to indicate that he is pushing for this power. At present he can propose an investigation but can only proceed if requested to do so by the prime minister.Mr Johnson was forced to apologise last week after it emerged that he failed to provide Geidt with details of all his communications with the Tory donor who funded the £142,000 refit of his flat above 11 Downing Street.In a letter to the House of Commons Public Administration Committee, released today, the peer said that the incident showed that “insufficient care” was being granted by the government to him in his role as independent adviser.He told the committee’s chair, Tory MP William Wragg: “The episode shook my confidence precisely because potential and real failures of process occurred in more than one part of the apparatus of government.“These failures were not, in my view, due to a lack of investigatory powers, but rather they showed insufficient care for the role of Independent Adviser.”Writing to Lord Geidt to offer a “humble and sincere apology” last month, Mr Johnson promised that he would be provided with more support from officials and “the highest standards of support and attention when pursuing your work”.Geidt told Mr Wragg in today’s letter that as a result “I would expect by the time of my next annual report in April to be able to describe the role of independent adviser in terms of considerably greater authority, independence and effect, consistent with the ambitions for the office that the prime minister has set out.”The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life has recommended new powers for the independent adviser to initiate inquiries without the need for the PM’s instruction. Asked for his views on this recommendation, Lord Geidt told Mr Wragg: “As set out in the exchange of letters with the prime minister. I will also consider other aspects, both of the remit of the appointment and of the ministerial code itself, as recommended in various recent reports – including the report… by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.” More

Boris Johnson has been accused of “running scared” of Parliament after sending a junior minister to respond to an urgent question over a Covid rule-breaking drinks party held in the No 10 garden in 2020.It comes as the prime minister faces intense pressure over his own involvement and yesterday dodged questions over whether he attended the event where over 100 Downing Street staff were invited to “bring your own booze” on 20 May, 2020.At the time, England was only just emerging from a national lockdown and people were still banned from meeting more than one other person outside — a restriction the public were reminded of just an hour before the No 10 gathering.Last night, the Met police said they were “in contact” with the Cabinet Office over reports of the event and Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, demanded Mr Johnson respond to an urgent question in the Commons on Tuesday.However, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said Michael Ellis, the paymaster general, would be dispatched to answer questions from MPs, rather than Mr Johnson, insisting it was “not uncommon for government ministers to answer these sorts of questions”.They added the next time the public was likely to see Mr Johnson was at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.In response, the Liberal Democrats accused Mr Johnson of dodging Parliament and also suggested he should be grilled by an emergency session of Parliament’s Liaison Committee of senior backbenchers over the rule-busting drinks.In a letter to the chair of the committee, Sir Bernard Jenkin, the party said the prime minister was “hiding behind the smokescreen” of an inquiry spearheaded by senior civil servant Sue Gray, who has been tasked with investigating allegations of rule breaking in government buildings.Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats’ chief whip, said: “Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to hide the truth from the public and Parliament any longer,“He is running scared of today’s debate, while using Sue Gray’s inquiry as a smokescreen and hoping the issue will just go away.”She added: “This simply won’t wash at a time when the public is clamouring for answers, and when it appears that Boris Johnson misled Parliament.“We need an emergency sessions now of the Liaison Committee so MPs can grill Boris Johnson, find out what role he had in organising this party and whether he attended. Parliament has a critical role to play in holding the prime minister to account. MPs have a duty to the public to do just that.”Earlier, the health minister Edward Argar, who faced questions over the event during morning broadcast interviews, acknowledged public anger over the drinks allegedly attended by Mr Johnson and his wife, Carrie.But he refused to be drawn on details of the May 20 2020 “socially distanced drinks”, insisting it was a matter for Ms Gray’s investigation. More

Boris Johnson’s failure to stamp down on multiple allegations of Tory sleaze and rule-breaking may be more than “carelessness”, an ethics watchdog has suggested.Jonathan Evans also warned the prime minister that the scandals – from the “Owen Paterson affair”, to the funding of his luxury flat refit, to “partygate” – had reached “cut through” with an angry public.Mr Johnson has rejected calls to beef up anti-sleaze powers made by the committee on standards in public life, including giving up his veto on whether ministers are investigated for sleaze.But Lord Evans, the committee’s head, pointed to the numerous controversies now rocking the government, including the leaked email revealing 100 people were invited to a lockdown-busting party in the No 10 garden.“All of those, I think, have demonstrated that there is, at least, a carelessness amongst people in government issues – and possibly no more than that,” he told an inquiry by MPs.“You only need to look at the media reporting, the front pages of the newspapers over the last few months – and to some extent the polling – to suggest that people are concerned about these issues.“This is an issue which has reached what they call ‘cut through’ – people care and feel that those people who are represent them in parliament, and are being paid to undertake public roles, should be living up to the standards they profess to live up to.”William Wragg, the Tory chair of the Commons public administration committee – and vice-chair of the backbench 1922 Committee – backed Lord Evans, saying: “That’s quite correct, for what it’s worth.Lord Evans also backed Sue Gray, the civil servant investigating the evidence of multiple No 10 parties in breach of Covid rules, to get to the bottom of the controversy.“I have no doubt that she will follow the facts and come forward with her recommendations without fear or failure,” he told the committee.The committee called, last year, for ethics watchdogs to be given proper teeth by being put on statutory basis, including the committee advising whether ex-ministers should take on private jobs linked to their former roles.The advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) should also be able to ban ex-ministers from lobbying for up to five years after leaving government, it said.And sanctions, such as fines, should be introduced for ignoring the rules, its report said – with informal lobbying reported to officials.But Mr Johnson has shown no interest in adopting the crackdown, actively rejecting the proposal for him to lose the power to decide whether investigations are launched for possible breaches of the ministerial code.That idea will now be the subject of his talks with Christopher Geidt, his adviser on ministerial interests, who investigated the ‘flatgate’ controversy.Lord Evans told MPs on the committee: “We have seen a whole series of issues over the last few months: the Owen Paterson affair, the attempt to change the rules over standards investigations in the middle of the investigation into Mr Paterson’s actions, the questions around the redecoration of Downing Street, in particular the very bad processes that were clearly in place for keeping Lord Geidt properly informed, the Greensill affair – and now partygate.” More