UK police recommend 20 'partygate' fines with probe ongoing

[LONDON] UK police said they will recommend 20 fines for staff and officials close to Boris Johnson over parties during the pandemic, which broke rules imposed by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The individuals - who London's Metropolitan Police did not name - will be the first to be handed so-called fixed penalty notices over the events, which took place in the heart of the British government while the rest of England was restricted from socialising in groups due to Covid-19.

The prime minister himself is unlikely to be targeted in Tuesday's police action, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke before the police statement. The police said the investigation into a dozen gatherings - including one in Johnson's apartment - is still running.

The prime minister has said he was assured no rules were broken and that a gathering he attended was a work event. Johnson's office had no immediate comment following the statement. The Met said it would not publish the number of fines it refers from each individual event.

Under the UK system, the police refer rule breaches to the ACRO Criminal Records Office to issue the fixed penalty notices.

"We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed and have completed a number of assessments," the Met said in the statement.

The fallout from the scandal - dubbed "partygate" by the British media - brought Johnson to the brink during the first weeks of the year, as it compounded a series of other gaffes and missteps that led some members of his ruling Conservative Party to call for his resignation.

That pressure had largely gone quiet as lawmakers focused on the Ukraine crisis, while an unpopular fiscal statement from Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, seen by many Tories as Johnson's political heir apparent, has appeared to cement the premier's position for now.

But Tuesday's police finding that laws were broken in Downing Street will heighten the risk for Johnson at a critical time, as he seeks to ramp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.

His Tories also face local elections in May, which the party will be hoping can provide momentum into the next national poll due in 2024.

A earlier internal report into the lockdown gatherings slammed "failures of leadership and judgment" at the top of his government and criticised "excessive" drinking.

How Conservatives respond to the police fines is likely to depend on whether Johnson himself receives one in the coming weeks, and whether they decide voters have moved on from the scandal due to the focus on Ukraine and a burgeoning cost-of-living crisis.

Meanwhile Johnson will host a team-bonding dinner for Tory Members of Parliament on Tuesday as he seeks to rebuild the relationship with his party. It comes after the Conservative Party postponed a planned "away day" at a countryside retreat in January due to the pandemic. BLOOMBERG