U.K. police say they are now investigating lockdown parties at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office


London's Metropolitan Police said Tuesday that there is an investigation underway into a series of parties at No. 10 Downing Street while the rest of London and Britain was under government-ordered COVID-19 lockdown. The investigation is another blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and comes amid new allegations that Johnson and his staff gathered in his Downing Street office to celebrate his birthday in June 2020, during the first lockdown.
Until now, Scotland Yard had left the "partygate" inquiry to a Cabinet Office investigation being led by senior civil servant Sue Gray. Based on information from Gray's investigation and "my officers' own assessment, I can confirm that the Met is now investigating a number of events that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to potential breaches of COVID-19 regulations," Met Commissioner Cressida Dick told the London Assembly on Tuesday.
"The fact that we are now investigating does not, of course, mean that fixed penalty notices will necessarily be issued in every instance and to every person involved,″ Dick said. "We will not be giving a running commentary on our current investigations."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, said that "with Boris Johnson's Downing Street now under police investigation, how on earth can he think he can stay on as Prime Minister?" Johnson is "a national distraction" who is now "too wrapped up in scandal to do anything" about the millions of Britons "struggling to pay the bills," she added. "Conservative MPs should stop propping him up and he should finally do the decent thing and resign."
"When you hear the words 'Met Police, investigation, criminal, Downing Street' that sounds incredibly dramatic," BBC's Adam Fleming notes, but "we are talking about the potential issuing of fixed penalty notices — fines — we are not talking about big criminal trials or people going to prison." Plus, he added, "we don't know how many of those high-profile parties are now being investigated and crucially we don't know if they were parties attended by the prime minister."
Johnson's office denies, for example, the new allegation he had a rules-busting birthday celebration with staff in his office and then hosted friends in his apartment upstairs, saying that "in line with the rules at the time, the prime minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein