Boris Johnson to face MPs at PMQs while in hot water over partygate fines
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A tough day in Parliament awaits Boris Johnson, with MPs set to quiz him at PMQs before he moves to the Liaison Committee where he will face a lengthy grilling on a range of topics.
It comes just one day after the Metropolitan Police announced the first partygate fines were being issued, with 20 fixed penalty notices indicating rules were broken on government premises during the pandemic.
Critics of Mr Johnson believe the fines prove Mr Johnson misled MPs when he insisted on December 8 - one day after ITV News released the infamous clip of Number 10 staff laughing about attending a lockdown busting Christmas party - that "no Covid rules were broken".
The PM will face more calls to quit at Prime Minister's Questions, with Parliamentary convention dictating that ministers should resign if they knowingly mislead the Commons.
If he was claims he had been misled by his team's explanation of the Christmas party and therefore he was speaking honestly in December, then it would be incumbent upon him to correct the record at the earliest opportunity, which would be today.
As ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston says, that scenario would be "embarrassing" for the prime minister, who has changed much of his top team since the partygate revelations.
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The prime minister and his allies had an indication of public anger about the situation at a party for Tory MPs in London on Tuesday night, where bereaved relatives of Covid-19 victims heckled senior Conservatives.
Dozens of grief-stricken relatives who lost loved ones during the pandemic lined up outside the entrance of the Park Plaza hotel, across Westminster Bridge from the House of Commons, to boo guests as they arrived.
Shouts of “shame on you” and “off to another party are we?” were directed at Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg as they turned up to the venue.
The public may never know who in government is issued with a fixed-penalty notice (FPN), as Scotland Yard said they would remain anonymous – although Downing Street has promised to confirm if the prime minister or Cabinet Secretary Simon Case are among those hit with a fine.
The decision to issue FPNs means the police believe the law was broken – with more fines expected to follow as officers continue to sift through evidence.
Mr Johnson is not thought to be among those set to receive a fine at this stage – despite it being understood that he was present at six of the at least 12 events being probed – as he is contesting the allegations and took advice from his personal lawyer on how to respond.
The Met on Tuesday said it would begin referring 20 cases to the Acro Criminal Records Office, which is responsible for issuing the penalties.
The prime minister’s official spokesman refused to say whether Mr Johnson would quit if he was fined.
Watch Robert Peston's assessment of what the fines mean for the PM:
He also declined to say whether fined individuals can carry on working in No 10, though former chief whip Mark Harper suggested law-breaking civil servants or special advisers would have to be sacked.
In a tweet, the Tory MP posted a screenshot of the Civil Service Code, highlighting a passage saying they must “comply with the law”.
Any sackings or resignations among No 10 aides would put pressure on Mr Johnson to follow suit if he too was found to have broken the law.
The prime minister’s spokesman said Mr Johnson was not misleading on the numerous occasions he defended the saga, despite wrongdoing now being confirmed.
“At all times, he has set out his understanding of events,” he said.
“The prime minister has apologised to the House already.”
He added: “You can expect to hear more from the prime minister when the investigation is concluded and Sue Gray has set out her report.”
Ms Gray is the senior civil servant tasked with investigating the allegations of lockdown-busting gatherings and has not yet been able to release her full findings.
The Met would not say how many individuals will get a fine – it is possible some will get more than one if they attended multiple illegal events.
The force would also not say which parties the fines relate to.
Fines start at £100 for the first offence, growing to £200 for the second offence before doubling for each repeat offence before hitting the cap of £6,400.
Any individual is entitled to appeal their fine, which could see the appellant appear in court.
A fixed penalty notice is not a criminal conviction, yet it can be recorded on the Police National Computer - it is the equivalent to a minor speeding offence.