The London Metropolitan Police has ended its investigation into the United Kingdom’s “Partygate” controversy.
The police announced the end of its investigation on Thursday. The investigation’s conclusion will allow senior civil servant Sue Gray to release her full report on the lockdown gatherings in the next few weeks, according to the BBC. It will also allow the Parliament to begin its investigation into whether U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled it.
One hundred and twenty-six people were fined for attending at least one of eight events that occurred at 10 Downing Street between May 2020 and April 2021, while COVID-19 restrictions were in place, according to police. Of the 126 individuals fined, 28 are facing between two and five fines. The fine recipients include 53 men and 73 women.
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None of the fine recipients have been identified by police, although select officials have identified themselves. Johnson and his wife Carrie both confirmed they received one fine, but they have not stated whether they received any additional penalties.
Johnson also faces an investigation from Parliament regarding whether he knowingly lied to it about his involvement in Partygate. Parliament voted to approve the investigation on April 21 and stated that it would not begin its investigation until the police finished its own. If Johnson is found guilty of deception, it will be considered a resigning offense.
Johnson’s opponents have pushed for the release of Gray’s report in the near term.
“Industrial-scale rule-breaking has taken place at the heart of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street,” said Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, according to the Guardian. “We must now urgently see the Sue Gray report published in full. It’s time for the prime minister to stop hiding.”
Downing Street “was fined more times for breaking COVID laws than any other address in the country,” said Liberal Democratic leader Ed Davey. “It exposes a shocking level of criminality at the heart of Johnson’s No 10. It beggars belief that Conservative MPs are allowing our great country to be run by a prime minister who broke the law, then repeatedly lied about it.”
Johnson is not the only leader under scrutiny for his conduct during the COVID-19 lockdown. Labour leader Keir Starmer was seen at a party office having a beer with coworkers on April 30, 2021. Starmer has been an avid advocate for Johnson’s resignation amid Partygate, raising accusations of hypocrisy from his opponents considering his attendance of at least one party. Additional evidence has arisen, confirming that Starmer was at a party when he claimed he was working.
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Starmer said he would resign if he was fined for participating in any events during the lockdown.
An interim version of Gray’s report was published in January, but Gray delayed releasing the full details due to the police investigation.
