Partygate: top police ask why PM avoided fine
The Guardian|May 25, 2022
The Metropolitan police force is facing a formal call to justify letting Boris Johnson escape a fine for drinking at a social gathering during lockdown, with some senior officers bewildered by the Met's handling of the Partygate inquiry.
Vikram Dodd, Aubrey Allegretti
Partygate: top police ask why PM avoided fine

The prime minister will be forced to explain his presence at the event when Sue Gray's long-awaited Whitehall investigation, which has hung over his premiership for seven months, is finally published.

Tory MPs are expected to use the top civil servant's report, which could come today, to decide whether to force a leadership contest or accept Johnson's apology once and for all.

The Met last week closed its investigation into Partygate, leaving Johnson with one fine despite claims he was an active participant at several gatherings that breached his own government's Covid rules.

That decision came under scrutiny on Monday when photos emerged of Johnson with a glass in his hand, surrounded by other people clutching glasses, apparently toasting the departing Downing Street aide Lee Cain in front of a table littered with empty bottles of alcohol.

Even inside the Met, there is incredulity that the photo did not lead to a fine for the prime minister, and concern about the decision-making.

One source, a staunch defender of the Met, said: "I'm baffled ... I think it is blindingly obviously evidence of a breach. The least you would do is question the individual. If I had been responsible for the investigation I'd have to be convinced why the photo did not show a breach."

Another source, again a staunch defender of the Met and veteran officer, said: "I'm looking at that photo and wondering, why is that not an FPN [fixed-penalty notice]?"

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 25, 2022 من The Guardian.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 25, 2022 من The Guardian.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

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