Police are expected to issue the first Partygate fines as soon as today - but Boris Johnson is not likely to be among them.
Downing Street is braced for the first wave of fixed-penalty notices for staff involved in lockdown-breaking gatherings during the pandemic.
It is understood that between 15 and 20 officials will shortly be slapped with fines by Scotland Yard for breach of Covid rules.
Detectives are investigating 12 rule-breaking parties in Whitehall and Downing Street during the pandemic, including as many as six events the PM is believed to have attended.
The most controversial cases are not expected to be dealt with as part of the first tranche of fines, which means the Prime Minister is unlikely to be among them.
More than 100 police questionnaires had been sent out to people believed to have attended these events, including Mr Johnson, who took private legal advice on how to respond, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Mr Johnson came under intense pressure to quit over the scandal but mutinous Tories have rallied around him since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
The Metropolitan Police will not name individuals who are fined but No 10 has committed to disclosing if the PM is among them.
The force said: “We’re not giving a running commentary and I would refer you to our statement from March 21 which is still on our website.”
The penalties come months after the Mirror first revealed details of lockdown-breaking parties held as the rest of the country lived under strict Covid rules.
The events included a notorious "bring your own booze" bash in the Downing Street garden in May 2020, a surprise get-together for Mr Johnson's birthday in June 2020, and a party in the PM's No11 flat in November 2020.
Mr Johnson previously admitted he was at the "bring your own booze" event for 25 minutes - claiming he believed it was a work event - while Downing Street said staff "gathered briefly" in the Cabinet Room to mark the Prime Minister's 56th birthday.
Scotland Yard initially resisted investigating multiple allegations of rule-breaking before U-turning in January.
The decision to launch a probe derailed publication of the results of a separate Whitehall inquiry led by top civil servant Sue Gray.
It is understood outgoing Met Police chief Cressida Dick wants the investigation done and dusted before she leaves in April.
Tory minister Will Quince admitted that gatherings which took place across Downing Street and Whitehall during the pandemic "shouldn't have happened".
Education minister Will Quince said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the reports - but he told Sky News: "I entirely understand why you asked that question. I understand the huge public interest.
"I completely understand the considerable upset caused, the events that took place shouldn't have happened.
"But I hope you'll understand that both as an education minister but more importantly, as there's ongoing live Metropolitan Police investigation, it's just not appropriate that I comment."
Mr Quince refused to say if the PM should resign if he was fined for breaking lockdown rules but underlined that Mr Johnson had committed to publish the full report by Sue Gray into the scandal "as soon as the Metropolitan Police have concluded their investigation".
