The Metropolitan Police has begun to roll out the first fixed-penalty fines in connection with the lockdown parties that took place between 2020 and 2022.
But so far Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not been given one, says Downing Street.
The Prime Minister was one of 100 people asked by the Met to fill in a questionnaire about his involvement in the alleged parties, which broke Covid-19 regulations in place at the time.
His official spokesperson told journalists this afternoon “we’ve said we will update if” he is found to have broken the law, reports City AM.
The partygate scandal saw a number of illegal gatherings take place at both Downing Street and Whitehall whilst the rest of the country was under striction restrictions that forbid social mixing between households.
Today, the Met has issued the first wave of fines for those involved.
It’s understood they apply to more straight-forward cases, and the Prime Minister is not included - something that has been confirmed this afternoon by Downing Street.
Boris Johnson is expected to be at the ‘bottom of the pile’, The Mirror has reported, due to the ‘politically explosive’ nature of his case.
The police are issuing 20 fines over the Downing Street lockdown parties. Credit: Met Police
The Met Police have been investigating 12 gatherings that took place during Covid lockdowns, in breach of the Government’s own regulations and guidance, reports The Manc.
Officers say they are ‘making every effort to progress this investigation at speed’.
This first wave of penalties from the Met confirms that the rules were broken by Downing Street staff members.
A statement issued this morning says: “We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of Covid-19 regulations.
“We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed and have completed a number of assessments. However due to the significant amount of investigative material that remains to be assessed, further referrals may be made to ACRO if the evidential threshold is made.”
Gray’s report looked into 2020 events on 15 May, 20 May, 18 June, 19 June, 13 November, 27 November, 10 December, 15 December, 17 December and 18 December, as well as events on 14 January 2021 and 16 April 2021.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
News
Leeds City Council granted £1.6m to tackle rough sleeping by Christmas
A £1.6m grant has been given by the government to Leeds City Council to help tackle rough sleeping.
The funding has been allocated to Leeds City Council as part of the Government’s national Rough Sleeping Programme.
The overall target is to help rough sleepovers off the streets by Christmas through providing safe accommodation.
The council have said that voluntary organisations and charities will be able to help them reach this target.
The council report said: "This funding will be used for immediate interventions to ensure all those rough sleeping have an offer of accommodation by Christmas and support longer term sustainment of accommodation.
“The initial target is to provide a suitable offer of accommodation for everyone who is rough sleeping by Christmas 2026.
“Providing a path into supported accommodation and independent living is the key objective and sustaining this independent living with, where necessary, ongoing support to prevent any return to rough sleeping and homelessness.”
The government announcement spoke of the scheme: "The programme is intended to support people experiencing rough sleeping.
"People experiencing rough sleeping may have differing entitlements to housing and support depending on their individual circumstances, including their immigration status and eligibility for public funds."
The funding is intended to help provide immediate support for people currently sleeping on the streets, while also helping them access longer-term accommodation and the support needed to maintain independent living.
By working with local charities and voluntary organisations, the council hopes to ensure people are not only offered a place to stay but are also given the help they need to avoid returning to the streets.
M&S launches massive recruitment drive in Leeds with hundreds of jobs available
Emily Sergeant
M&S has launched a massive recruitment drive across Yorkshire.
With the festive season fast approaching, and most British stores having already unveiled their Christmas ranges for 2026, one of the country’s largest brands has launched a massive UK-wide seasonal recruitment drives to gear up for what is always one of the busiest times of the year for the retail industry.
M&S has announced it will recruit for plenty of new colleagues across the UK.
As mentioned Christmas is one of the busiest moments of the year for M&S, and seasonal colleagues play a ‘vital’ part in delivering that.
Image: Supplied
New recruits will be tasked with helping M&S deliver a ‘brilliant’ service for customers.
Stores with vacancies span the whole of Leeds - including city centre, Moortown, Crown Point, White Rose Shopping Centre and Pudsey.
M&S says the roles are ‘fast-moving and hands-on’, with colleagues required to work together to make sure customers still get the very best of M&S, even at its busiest.
The roles will pay £13.41 per hour, with successful applicants receiving the training, tools and support needed to get up to speed quickly.
“We can’t wait to welcome over 300 new colleagues to our store teams here in Greater Manchester,” commented Zeba Khan, who is the Regional Manager at M&S.
“As we get ready for our busiest time of year, it’s a great opportunity to join us and help bring a magical M&S Christmas to our customers.
“We have a range of opportunities available, whether joining our city centre flagship or our fresh market-style foodhalls. We’re looking for colleagues who are passionate about delivering great customer service and being part of a team.”
Fancy it then? Applications are now open, and you can find out more and apply on the M&S Christmas careers page here.
The Hoot -
29th March 2022 
