The UK’s public will be told if police issue fines to Prime Minister Boris Johnson for breaching CCP virus restrictions, Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday, hours after it said it was up to the police to decide whether to make the information public.
Johnson is under fresh calls for him to resign as the prime minister after an internal inquiry into a string of partying allegations, led by senior civil servant Sue Gray, found a “serious failure” to observe the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government, and criticised “failures of leadership and judgment” by parts of Number 10 and the Cabinet Office.
Earlier on Tuesday, Johnson’s spokesman said it was up to the Met to set out “what they see fit at the conclusion of their work,” while the Met pointed to College of Policing guidance stating that the names of people dealt with by fixed penalty notices—the likely punishment for a breach of the coronavirus regulations—would not normally be disclosed.
The spokesman later said No 10 is “aware of the significant public interest with regard to the prime minister” and “would always look to provide what updates we can on him, specifically.”
Asked if that meant No 10 would say if Johnson was given a fixed penalty notice, the spokesman said: “Hypothetically, yes.”
The shift came after Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the public had the right to know if Johnson is fined over the “Partygate” affair.
Several Conservative MPs have previously called on Johnson to resign while others were waiting for Gray to publish her report. After Gray’s report was published in part on Monday, Conservative MP Peter Aldous said he has joined his colleagues in writing to the 1922 committee—a committee of all backbench Conservative MPs—to ask for a vote of no confidence in Johnson.
“After a great deal of soul-searching, I have reached the conclusion that the prime minister should resign,” the MP for Waveney wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
“It is clear that he has no intention of doing so and I have therefore written to the chairman of the 1922 Committee of Backbench Conservative MPs, advising him that I have no confidence in the prime minister as leader of the Conservative Party.
“I have never taken such action before and had hoped that I would not be put in such an invidious position. Whilst I am conscious that others will disagree with me, I believe that this is in the best interests of the country, the government, and the Conservative Party.”
If 54 Conservative MPs write to the committee, a leadership contest will be triggered.
Asked if Johnson was worried by Aldous’ tweet, the spokesman referred reporters to the prime minister’s comments in Parliament on Monday following the publishing of Gray’s report.
Johnson apologised to MPs on Monday and promised to make major changes to the way he runs the government, including by creating an Office of the Prime Minister with a permanent secretary to lead Number 10.
He also highlighted a greater role for Australian election guru Sir Lynton Crosby in an effort to bolster his support on the Tory benches.
Gray’s report was partly redacted because the Met requested Gray to make “minimal reference” to the events being investigated by police.
Asked on Tuesday if he’s committed to publishing Gray’s inquiry in full, including the 300 images, Johnson said his office will “publish everything that we can as soon as the process has been completed.”
