Fury As Johnson Escapes Partygate With Single Fine

Whitehall party inquiry ends with 126 penalty notices. Civil servants and advisers angered by police conclusions

- Heather Stewart, Vikram Dodd, Peter Walker

Civil servants and special advisers have reacted with fury and disbelief after Scotland Yard confirmed that Boris Johnson received only one of 126 fines levied for law-breaking parties at the heart of Downing Street and Whitehall.

The Metropolitan police came under intense pressure to explain how it had reached its conclusions after Downing Street said officers confirmed no further action would be taken against the prime minister despite him attending gatherings for which others were fined.

The Met's fourth-month investigation, costing £460,000, has now concluded, paving the way for the publication of a full report by the senior civil servant Sue Gray next week. Her preliminary report found "failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office".

A former Met chief warned that the force was open to claims it had bungled the investigation unless it took steps to explain itself. Brian Paddick, now a Liberal Democrat peer, said: "The Met has no defence to the accusation that it gave the prime minister one fixed-penalty notice [FPN] as that was the minimum he could be fined, but did not do so for other events for political reasons.

"The decision not to explain is a mistake. It was a mistake not to investigate in the first place. They said there was no need to investigate and then they issued 126 fines, which is not good for their credibility."

The 126 fines were issued to 83 people-35 men and 48 women - with at least one person receiving five FPNs, the Met said. The fines, typically £50, covered events held on eight separate dates.