Good Law Project has today written to the Metropolitan Police asking it to justify its failure to investigate reports of an unlawful party being held at No 10 Downing Street on 18th December 2020 – and threatening legal proceedings if it fails to do so.
There have been multiple reports from people who say they were in attendance on the night that a party of 40 – 50 people took place in the prime minister’s own home. This would have been a clear breach of the “tier 3” restrictions in place at the time.
Yet – unbelievably – the Met claims there isn’t enough evidence to open a criminal investigation.
Apparently, this wasn’t even the only unlawful gathering held at Boris Johnson’s home during this period.
Further reports have now emerged alleging there were gatherings at the prime minister’s flat on 13th November 2020, a leaving party at No. 10 held on 27th November 2020 for former aide Cleo Watson, and a party at the Department for Education on 10th December 2020.
Good Law Project’s lawyers have today sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Met asking it to open an investigation, or to set out the full and detailed reasons behind its refusal to do so.
The pre-action protocol letter also asks the Met to provide details of its policy ‘not to investigate retrospective breaches of the covid regulations’, referred to in its statement of 8 December 2021.
If the Met refuses, Good Law Project will consider suing.
The Met is due to respond by 31st December 2021.
Jo Maugham, Director of Good Law Project said: “Now we know what Boris Johnson and his advisors think about the awful sacrifices people up and down the country have made. They think sacrifices are for the ‘small’ people – but not for ‘Great’ people like them.
“But the law says we are all equal. Great and small alike, subject to the same laws. That’s what the law says – and the Metropolitan Police need to apply it.”
Related: Poems on the Underground replaced with cutting Xmas party dig at PM