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Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to be fined over lockdown parties
It is not yet clear which party the two most senior Conservatives are being fined for attending
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak will be fined by the police for breaking lockdown laws.
The PM's wife, Carrie Johnson, will also be given a fixed penalty notice.
Officials confirmed the three had received notification of the fines from the Met, following an investigation into illegal parties in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns.
Spokespeople for the Johnsons and Mr Sunak said they had not been told which event the fines were linked to.
However, the three were reported to be at the same gathering for the PM's birthday in June 2020.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak must resign.
And the Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said there was "simply no way either the prime minister or chancellor can continue".
The Met is investigating alleged Covid law-breaking at 12 gatherings in Whitehall and Downing Street.
So far, more than 50 fines have been handed out.
A spokeswoman for the Covid Bereaved Families, Lobby Akinnola, said it was "unbelievably painful" to know such senior members of government attended parties while they were unable to be with their dying loved ones.
He added: "The fact that the prime minister and his chancellor then lied about it, and would have continued to do so if the police hadn't intervened, is truly shameless.
"They broke the law. But even worse, they took us all for mugs."
Labour's Sir Keir said the fines for the PM and chancellor showed the Conservatives were "totally unfit to govern", adding: "Britain deserves better.
"Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign."
The Green Party echoed the call, with co-leader Adrian Ramsay saying the fines were "a damning indictment of the reckless culture of a Conservative Party and prime minister that consider themselves untouchable".
And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for Parliament - which is currently on its Easter recess - to be recalled to hold a no confidence vote in the prime minister.
Allegations
Reports of parties being held in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 first emerged in December last year.
Mr Johnson initially insisted that "guidelines were followed at all times".
But as more and more gatherings were revealed, he faced further questions about his involvement.
The PM later apologised for attending a drinks party in the Downing Street garden, but told Parliament he believed he had been attending a work event.
The Met initially said it would not investigate the allegations but changed its mind when Ms Gray passed information to officers.
Ms Gray released an interim report, stating there had been a "failure of leadership" in Downing Street.
But her full report will not be released until the Met have concluded their inquiries.
Among those already issued fines is the government's former head of ethics Helen MacNamara, who received a fixed-penalty notice for attending a leaving party in the Cabinet Office in June 2020.
Ms MacNamara - who is now the Premier League's director of policy - said she apologised for "the error of judgement I have shown".
Sources have told the BBC that some fines had been given to people who attended a leaving party in Downing Street on 16 April 2021 - the eve of Prince Philip's funeral.
Those who receive fines can either pay within 28 days or contest the police decision.
If they contest the fine, police will review the case and then either withdraw the penalty or take the matter to court.
The government has faced intense pressure over gatherings held in and around Downing Street during Covid lockdowns. Senior civil servant Sue Gray has said that many of them “should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.” Here is what we know about them and the restrictions in place at the time:
The rules:
Legal restrictions at the time said you could not leave your house without a reasonable excuse and government guidance was that you could meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor setting while exercising.
This event is not being investigated by the police.
SOURCE: BBC