Downing Street has declared this week that prime minister Boris Johnson’s response to a Metropolitan Police questionnaire as part of its probe into the ‘partygate’ scandal will not be disclosed to the public.
The PM was among roughly 50 people to be issued with a questionnaire by the police as part of its inquiry into gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall which may have broken Covid regulations in force at the time.
12 gatherings are being looked into as part of the inquiry, three of which the PM is reported to have attended.
The questionnaires were sent to enable the recipients to provide an “account and explanation” of their “participation in an event” being investigated. They hold formal legal status and honest answers must be provided by recipients.
Despite saying that it will not disclose Johnson’s responses to each of the questions, Downing Street confirmed that it will reveal whether the PM has been issued with a fine for breaking the rules following the conclusion of the probe.
Any individuals deemed by police to have broken the rules will be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Johnson himself has remained tight-lipped on the matter, telling the media that he will comment further once the police investigation has concluded.
The PM said this week: “All that process has got to be completed before I can say anything more, but I look forward to telling you a lot more in due course.”
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons
