Christmas party at Conservative headquarters in London during lockdown in 2020 attended by Shaun Bailey, then the party's candidate for London mayor, it has emerged.
In a statement, the force said that despite a much published photograph showing Bailey amid a crowd of seeming revellers, some holding drinks and standing next to a buffet, there was not enough evidence to "disprove the version of events provided by attendees".
The decision not to take action against Bailey and the two dozen or so party staffers and aides seen packed into a room at Matthew Parker Street in central London, next to a table laden with platters of food, clears the path for the former mayoral candidate to become a peer.
He is among a series of allies reportedly selected by Boris Johnson to be sent to the Lords in a resignation honours list. Had Bailey still faced a possible fine for breaching lockdown rules, the House of Lords appointments commission (Holac), which vets new peers, could have blocked the move.
This story is from the November 12, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 12, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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