Two people did not return Partygate questionnaires issued to them by police investigating lockdown parties in Downing Street and Whitehall, police have confirmed. Met Police sent questionnaires to people suspected of being involved in illegal gatherings at the heart of lockdown during the Covid pandemic.
The questionnaires saw people including Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak issued with fines for breaking the rules by attending social events during lockdown. In a letter to Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain, seen by the Sunday Mirror, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors said that of the 204 questionnaires sent out, two were not returned.
Ms Connors said the individuals were still “assessed against all the available evidence”.
Ms Chamberlain said: “Serious questions remain around the Met Police’s investigation into Boris Johnson ’s law-breaking parties in Downing Street. Time and again Johnson has lied.” She added: “The public now deserves full transparency.”
Ms Connors said: “It’s important that we find out more about the two individuals who failed to return a questionnaire to the police, whether they were Conservative ministers or senior officials, and if one or both then received a fine. We also need urgent clarity over claims that some individuals failed to properly fill in their questionnaires.
“The public would be rightly angry if it turns out Johnson or his Downing Street evaded justice by failing to properly answer questions from the police”
In her letter, Ms Connors added: “We understand the strong interest, feelings and opinions on this case given the pandemic affected so many people in so many ways.
“Therefore, I can assure you and the public once again that the small but skilled team investigating this matter have acted diligently, proportionately, carefully, and impartially.”
A No10 spokesman said it was “up to individuals” to return questionnaires.