Boris Johnson is under pressure to "come clean" over whether he has been fined for breaking Covid laws a second time as reports emerged the Met has issued penalties over the infamous "bring your own booze" No10 garden party.
It is not clear whether the PM has been hit with another fixed penalty notice by Scotland Yard after, but sources have told ITV News the Met has issued Downing Street staff with a tranche of fines for gathering during England’s first national lockdown.
The Prime Minister has previously admitted being at the party, on May 20, 2020, for around 25 minutes to “thank groups of staff” but claimed he believed "implicitly" that it was a “work event”.
The public may not be told officially until after the local elections on May 5, as cops have said they would not issue updates during the local elections campaign period.
A Met spokesman said: "While the investigation will continue during the pre-election period, due to the restrictions around communicating before the May local elections we will not provide further updates until after 5 May."
A leaked email from the PM's principle private secretary Martin Reynolds to dozens of Whitehall staff at the time urged them to "make the most of the lovely weather " and "bring your own booze".
Mr Johnson, who was reportedly at the party with his wife Carrie, is now under pressure to reveal whether he has been fined in relation to the gathering.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “Boris Johnson must immediately declare if he has been given another fine. No more cover-ups, no more lies.
“The scale of the criminality at Number 10 under Johnson’s Conservatives is truly breathtaking.”
Responding to reports more people were being fined, the SNP ’s Deputy Westminster Leader Kirsten Oswald said: “The scale of law-breaking in Downing Street is staggering.
“There’s a clear pattern that while the public made difficult sacrifices and followed the rules, the Tories partied away without a care.
“With reports that further fines are being issued by the Met Police relating to boozy lockdown parties, Boris Johnson must come clean over whether or not he has also been issued with yet another fine.
“There’s no doubt that Boris Johnson is a serial liar who has misled parliament, deceived voters and wilfully broken the law.
“Tory MPs must finally accept their responsibility to restore public trust by removing the Prime Minister from office.”
When reports of the bash first emerged in January, Mr Johnson told the Commons: “I believed implicitly that this was a work event.
“With hindsight I should have sent everyone back inside.
“I should have found some other way to thank them.
“I should have recognised that even if it could be said technically to fall within the guidance, there are millions and millions of people who simply would not see it that way, people who have suffered terribly, people who were forbidden for meeting loved ones at all inside or outside, and to them and to this House I offer my heartfelt apologies.”
Mr Johnson is now subject to three official investigations into Covid lockdown law-breaking at the heart of Government.
He will now officially be investigated by the Privileges Committee over allegations he misled Parliament at least four times over Partygate.
Scotland Yard is investigating lockdown breaches and has already issued 50 fines, including to the PM, his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
It came as senior Tory Tobias Ellwood warned Boris Johnson's future is hanging in the balance and it was now a question of "when not if a vote of no confidence will take place".
The top Conservative is among a number of veteran figures calling for the Prime Minister to quit, even as he tried to use a trip to India to distract attention away from his domestic woes.
Steve Baker, who played a key role in bringing down Theresa May, yesterday told the PM: "The gig's up".
William Wragg said it had become "utterly depressing" backing Mr Johnson's behaviour, likening it to "defending the indefensible".
He claimed each time a Tory had to defend the PM "a part of us withers".
This morning Mr Ellwood told BBC Radio 4 the Prime Minister is "causing long term damage to the [Conservative] party's brand".
"It’s now when not if a vote of confidence takes place.”
