First £50 fines handed out by Met Police over partygate scandal

The first fines issued by police investigating parties Whitehall held during lockdown have reportedly started arriving.

The fixed penalty notices are thought to relate to one of the earliest events under investigation – a leaving do held in the Cabinet Office on June 18, 2020, to mark the departure of a private secretary.

The £50 fines are said to have been delivered by email and issued to junior civil servants.

The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday that investigators were referring 20 notices to the ACRO Criminal Records Office, which is responsible for issuing the penalties.

They made it clear that more fines may be issued as inquiries continue.

A spokesperson said on Tuesday that the PM had not received a fine 'at this time'. — A spokesperson said on Tuesday that the PM had not received a fine ‘at this time’. Parliament TV

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Boris Johnson said the PM had not received a fine at this time but reiterated that Downing Street would make it known if that were to happen.

He said: “We’ve said we’ll update if that were to occur, but our position has not changed.”

Earlier on Friday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the issuing of fines in the partygate saga meant that “we now know there was widespread criminality”.

The former director of public prosecutions, speaking on a visit in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said: “I know the Prime Minister wants us all to believe that there’s nothing to see here.

“He told the country that there were no parties and no breaking of the rules.

“We now know there was widespread criminality and he needs to take responsibility for that because the whole country went through a really hard period complying with the rules.

“People didn’t see their families, this really hurt every family, and to find out that the Prime Minister held parties in his house, in his home, in his office, and now wants to say to the public, ‘don’t look there, let’s all move on’. I just don’t think that’s a good enough response.”

He added: “In Downing Street of all places there was widespread criminality and breaking of the rules that applied to everybody else.”