Partygate: Met reopen investigation into alleged Tory 'Jingle and Mingle' Covid breach - as new probe revealed

The Metropolitan Police has reopened its investigation into potential Covid-19 regulation breaches during an event at Conservative Campaign Headquarters in December 2020 - and has launched a new probe into a gathering in Parliament that same month.

However, the force has announced it will not open an investigation into further potential pandemic regulation breaches in Downing Street, nor will the Thames Valley Police investigate potential breaches at Chequers - the sitting prime minister's country estate - while Boris Johnson was prime minister.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening (4 June), the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met… previously carried out an investigation into an event in Matthew Parker Street on December 14 2020.

“Based on the information available at the time, that investigation did not lead to [fixed penalty notices], but outcome letters sent to some participants stated that ‘the Metropolitan Police reserves the right to revisit this decision in the event that further significant evidence comes to light’," the statement continued.

"The receipt of video evidence has resulted in the Met revisiting and updating the assessment.” This meant that the investigation into the Matthew Parker Street incident - where footage uncovered by the Mirror revealed what appeared to be Conservative Campaign Headquarters staff dancing and joking about Covid restrictions at a "Jingle and Mingle" basement holiday party - will now be reopened.

The Met said of their new probe: “Following assessment of material relating to a gathering in Parliament, the Met is opening an investigation into potential breaches of the regulations at an event on December 8, 2020.”

This comes after former prime minister Boris Johnson has previously accused Sir Bernard Jenkin, the most senior Conservative member of the Commons Privileges Committee, of “monstrous hypocrisy” after the Guido Fawkes website reported the MP had gone to a drinks party in Parliament while Covid restrictions were in place.

Reports that Johnson's ministerial diary revealed friends visited him at Chequers during the height of the pandemic did "not meet the retrospective criteria for opening an investigation".

However, the force added: “The Met and Thames Valley Police continue to reserve the right to revisit assessments in the event that further significant evidence comes to light."

Just last month, the Privileges Committee - which investigated the former Prime Minister - recommended he should be suspended from Parliament for 90 days had he not already resigned. MPs overwhelmingly backed the Partygate report, which saw the removal of Johnson’s Parliamentary access pass.

The former PM suffered a humiliating defeat in the Commons vote by 354 votes, with only seven MPs voting against the Privileges Committee’s conclusions - including that Johnson had mislead Parliament.

The Liberal Democrats renewed calls for Shaun Bailey’s peerage to be paused as police investigate a “jingle and mingle” party in the Tory headquarters during Covid restrictions - which the video showed him attending.

“Rishi Sunak needs to confirm he will call for honours to be stripped from anyone found to have broken the law. Anything less would make a complete mockery of his pledge to lead with integrity," deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “He should also step in to stop Shaun Bailey from taking his seat as a peer while this investigation takes place.”