Calls for MPS to explain Op Hillman charging decisions

The calls, from the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, followed the emergence of new pictures apparently showing the Prime Minister Boris Johnson drinking wine during an event for which others received fines.

Mr Johnson received a fixed-penalty notice (FPN) over a birthday party in the Cabinet Room in June 2020 but was told he would face no further action over other gatherings covered by the inquiry. Those included the November 13, 2020 gathering to mark the departure of a staff member at which pictures obtained by ITV apparently showed Mr Johnson raising a toast and drinking wine.

Ms Cooper said: “The Met Police need to explain why Boris Johnson wasn’t fined for this event, despite being pictured in an apparent breach of the rules.

“If anyone else had been pictured at a party like this during lockdown, surely this would have been enough evidence for them to be fined. It does seem that there has been one rule for the Prime Minister and another for everyone else.

“The complete lack of transparency in this investigation risks doing huge damage to public trust. We need urgent clarity from the Met over why Boris Johnson wasn’t fined when others were

“If the Met won’t set out the basis on which they made their decisions, then it’s absolutely right that they should face an investigation.”

The IOPC is unlikely to agree to her request as most complaints should be directed to the force responsible, with the watchdog usually only considering the most serious cases, such as those involving a death or serious injury following contact with the police

Ms Cooper’s request could also be ineligible because complaints can only be made by someone who has directly witnessed an incident or is directly affected by it.

However, the decision-making process of the MPS has also been questioned by lawyers, with the Good Law Project’s Jolyon Maugham suggesting he would take legal action.

“We have now had advice from our QC and junior,” he said. “We will be sending a further judicial review pre-action protocol letter to the Met in relation to the apparent failures in its investigation into the Prime Minister later this week.”

Barrister Adam Wagner, author of a forthcoming book on the coronavirus laws, said that at the time of the November 13 event “it was illegal to ‘participate’ in a gathering if that gathering was not reasonably necessary for work”.

“Others got FPNs for this gathering so assume police considered it was illegal Why not the PM?” He added it is “impossible to understand how attending, raising a glass and making a speech wouldn’t be ‘participating’”.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has also called for the force to explain itself. Speaking to Sky News he said: “Here we have a photograph which looks like the prime minister caught red-handed breaking the rules. Some would call it a smoking gun. So the police should explain how it is that more fines weren’t issued.”

He insisted this was a matter of maintaining public confidence in the police. “I think the reality is when we police by consent, when we need the confidence of the public when it comes to police issues, when questions are being asked about police investigation and its integrity, that the police explain some of the conclusions they’ve reached. I think it’s right or proper”

“They may have seen other evidence, and that’s for them to explain,” he added. “I know from reading the newspapers today, from watching Sky News this morning, from speaking to Londoners, there are many questions they have, including to Boris Johnson, to explain how you can be raising a glass, having empty booze lying around and it not be a party at the same time.”