The Metropolitan Police’s investigation into lockdown rule-breaking in Downing Street has concluded with only one fixed penalty notice being issued to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Despite 126 fines being awarded for events on eight different dates, critics are disappointed that the Prime Minister did not receive multiple fines. The investigation involved a team of 12 detectives who examined 345 documents, 510 photographs and CCTV images, and conducted 204 questionnaires.
However, the results of the investigation have raised more questions than answers. It is unfortunate that the Met has chosen not to disclose the names of the recipients of the penalties. While Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak publicly acknowledged receiving fines, others were not obligated to do so. This lack of transparency makes it unclear if junior officials were disproportionately penalized. Additionally, it raises doubts about the thoroughness of the police investigation and why some events resulted in action while others did not.
Part of the confusion may be attributed to the inconsistent and convoluted nature of the lockdown rules themselves. The rules changed frequently and in confusing ways, making it difficult to determine if an event was in breach one month but legal the next, despite having the same intended effect.
Regardless, it is concerning that a birthday party or a casual gathering with colleagues could be considered illegal. Even Sir Keir Starmer, who seized the opportunity to criticize the government’s actions during “partygate,” is under investigation by police for an event involving similar circumstances in Durham.
While the Met’s investigation may be over, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not yet in the clear. A report by senior civil servant Sue Gray is set to be published in the coming days, and he also faces scrutiny from a Commons committee regarding whether he misled Parliament. This ongoing saga may continue for months.
The government understandably wants to focus on urgent issues such as the cost of living crisis and the situation in Ukraine. However, the public still deserves an explanation for why we endured such absurd lockdown rules in the first place. Will we ever receive it?
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