Pressure on metropolitan police is mounting as they face a formal call to justify allowing Boris Johnson to escape a fine for drinking at a public gathering during the blockade, with some senior officials confused by the work of the Partygate investigation force.
The prime minister will be forced to explain his presence at the event when Sue Gray’s investigation into Whitehall, which hung over his post as prime minister for seven months, is finally published.
Tory lawmakers are expected to use the report from a senior government official who may come on Wednesday to decide whether to impose a leadership race or accept Johnson’s apology once and for all.
Last week, Met ended his investigation against Partygate, leaving Johnson on a fine, despite allegations that he was an active participant in several rallies that violated the rules of his own government, Covid.
On Monday, the decision came under scrutiny and widespread criticism when photos of Johnson with a glass in his hand surfaced, surrounded by other people clutching glasses, apparently toasting his outgoing Downing Street assistant Lee Kane in front of a table littered with empty bottles of alcohol. .
Even inside the Met, there is mistrust that the photo did not lead to a fine for the prime minister, and concerns about the decision.
A source, a staunch supporter of Met, said: “There are many questions that need to be answered.
“I am confused.” I think this is blindingly obvious evidence of a breakthrough. The least you can do is question the individual. If I was responsible for the investigation, I would be convinced why the photo did not show a breakthrough.
Another source, again a staunch Met defender and veteran officer, said: “I’m looking at this picture and wondering why it’s not an FPN [fixed-penalty notice]? ”
The metropolitan said he would not give further explanations other than the statement he made last week.
The Guardian learned of a private briefing for employees, which explained the decision-making process in more detail than it did in public. The briefing said employees required a reasonable conviction that a person had committed a crime.
The police then examine each element of the crime according to the provisions: “Each line of the investigation examines the date, the circumstances behind each event” and “each individual’s actions are compared to the law at the time to determine whether the behavior meets … the threshold for FPN. “
The briefing said police had checked how many people had attended the rally, whether the rally was covered by an exception and, if not, whether the person had a reasonable excuse to attend the rally.
Partygate: Boris Johnson under new control after the appearance of new party photos – video report
It goes on to say that the strength of the evidence is a ‘decisive’ fact in ensuring that the case can be prosecuted in the event that the decision to issue a fixed sanction is challenged.
Another source added that questionnaires sent by police to junior officials were largely fully answered, with many admitting guilt and thus receiving penalties, but senior officials were said to be less forthcoming.
Downing Street officials told the BBC that there had been a “witch hunt” of junior officials over parties who did not think they were breaking the rules at the time because the prime minister was with them, some of the top officials. civil servants in the country were with them. “
They also said that the event attended by Johnson was so crowded that some people were forced to sit on each other’s lap and that some mornings they went into the office to find empty bottles from the parties the night before. .
Amid the furor, Sadiq Khan announced on Tuesday that he had written to Met’s acting commissioner, Sir Stephen House, asking Britain’s largest power to explain to the public how the decisions had been made.
Khan, in addition to being mayor of London, oversees the Metropolitan as police and crime commissioner for the capital. He said he was concerned that trust and trust in the police were being lost as distrust of the decision grew after the photos leaked to ITV News.
A spokesman for the town hall said: “He asked them to take steps to reassure Londoners, giving them this explanation directly, because he is concerned that the trust and confidence of Londoners in the police is further undermined by this lack of clarity.
“The mayor is clear that he cannot and will not interfere in operational decisions, but after the investigation was completed, he made this request in accordance with the 2011 Police Protocol Order, paragraph 23 (g).”
The protocol states that “the Chief Police Officer is accountable to the public and is accountable to the PCC” and adds that the Chief is responsible for notifying and briefing the PCC of any matter or investigation that the PCC may need to provide public assurance on its own or in a company with a police chief ”.
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He also says the chief police officer must remain “politically independent of his PCC”.
When Gray’s report is published, Johnson will hope to put an end to the scandal. He is expected to make a statement to the municipalities, followed by questions at a private meeting with Tory back courts and possibly a press conference.
But Mark Harper, a Conservative MP and former chief whip who called for Johnson to leave, said he was fed up with “decent” colleagues, being forced to go on TV day after day and saying things that were downright ridiculous. and protect the unprotected. “
He added that the prime minister was not candid with the people and that the top ministers could not give precise answers on key issues.
Another critic of Johnson, Roger Gale, said the prime minister had deceived parliament by denying holding any rally in November 2020.
He said: “This is a matter of resignation. I expressed my own position clearly. It is now up to my conservative parliamentary colleagues to decide whether or not to provoke a vote of no confidence. “
Gray’s report was not initially expected to contain photos taken of some of the lawbreakers, but it could be when the final version is delivered to number 10.
Some insiders believe that this will help avoid criticism that it is a plaster, especially if such evidence comes out at a later date, such as during the investigation into whether Johnson misled parliament from the Privileges Committee.
There may also be an attempt to counter the story that ministers have been spreading in recent months that such gatherings have been brief and frivolous. Referring to the refuting photos and video evidence of the parties that have appeared so far, a source said: “A picture paints a thousand words.”
The Liberal Democrats referred Met to the police oversight body, the Independent Police Conduct Service, to conduct the investigation.
The IOPC has forwarded the complaint to the Met Professional Standards Directorate, which will have 15 days to respond on how it intends to deal with it.
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