Why will the world be fined?
We know only the very basics: for participating in a rally in violation of the Covid lock rules in force in England at the time of the event. Police are investigating 12 separate incidents in 2020 and 2021, six of which are said to have been attended by Boris Johnson. The Met said it would not specify how many fines were issued for each event, as this could identify those involved.
Will we know the identity of the fines imposed?
No. The police statement said those fined would not be named publicly, in accordance with the FPN guidelines. Some forces publish regular lists of people who have received an FPN and the offense committed, but the Met is not among them.
Will Boris Johnson be fined?
Apparently not yet. The 20 fines are believed to be the ones that are considered the easiest to issue, while others may follow later. Johnson has categorically denied that he violated any rules, and so is unlikely to fall into this first camp. Downing Street said it would say if Johnson received an FPN.
How did it all start?
It started last November, when the Daily Mirror reported that Johnson had given a speech at a retirement event a year earlier, when England were in the middle of a lockdown for Covid and that a Christmas party had taken place in Downing Street in December. No. 10 insisted that the rules were followed at all times, but more and more allegations followed. One week after the first complaints, a video leaked to ITV showing Downing Street staff joking about an obvious party in December 2020.
How many events finally came to light?
More than 15 alleged events have been reported, spanning a period from mid-May 2020 to April 2021. Among them was a cheese and wine gathering at Garden No. 10 on May 15, 2020, from which a photograph was sent to the Guardian. A “bring your own drink” party, also in the garden, five days later. an alleged party at Johnson’s apartment in November 2020 the day Dominic Cummings quit his job. and two “lively” departure parties that take place at No. 10 simultaneously in April 2021, the night before the funeral of Prince Philip.
What was the response from Johnson and No. 10?
Mainly denial, with the extent and wording of the denials adapted to the new data. Johnson’s first response, after the original Mirror story, was to say that “all instructions were fully followed at No. 10”. When video surfaced showing No. 10 staff joking about a party, Johnson said he was “sick” but “repeatedly reassured that the rules had not been broken.” When the Guardian photo emerged from the May 15 rally in the garden, Johnson said it was a working rally.
How politically important are the fines for Johnson?
Significant. The political wisdom seems to be that Johnson will not face strong pressure to resign unless fined, and even then, possibly not, with the invasion of Ukraine focused on the minds of Conservative MPs elsewhere. But even if the 20 fines are the only ones imposed, they show massive breach of the rules in and around Downing Street, while the rest of the UK, for the most part, kept the lockdown. Johnson had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, which meant he either had no idea what his staff was doing or was not telling the truth. Nor is it a particularly comfortable place to be.
