The Metropolitan Police has confirmed this morning that it will be closing its Partygate investigation after issuing 126 fines to top officials in Downing Street and Whitehall.
The conclusion of the investigation by the Metropolitan Police means that the long-awaited Sue Gray report can finally be released, following a 5-month delay.
The report is expected to be damning, in particular of the Prime Minister and his team, as well as the wider culture that has been allowed to prevail in Downing Street whilst the rest of the country was living in isolation.
There is now a question as to whether Tory MPs who were previously holding back on calling for his resignation will now be moved to act following the release of Sue Gray’s long-awaited report.
Boris Johnson has already made history as the first-ever PM to have beenfined or prosecuted for breaking the law during their time in office. It has not been clear, however, how many fines in total the PM has received – despite previous promises of transparency from No.10.
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At the moment, the only fine that is confirmed for the PM is for his birthday in June – however, he is also known to have attended six out of the 12 events for which other fines have been recomended or issued.
The Met has made recommendations for a total of 126 fines, but it is being reported that these will take a short time to filter through.
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The reason for the lack of clarity is that the events happened over eight dates, and the Met has only clarified which dates it has issued fines for as opposed to events, reports The Mirror.
The Met has said a team of 12 detectives “worked through 345 documents, including emails, door logs, diary entries and witness statements, 510 photographs and CCTV images and 204 questionnaires as part of a careful and thorough enquiry.”
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Throughout the investigation, officials were issued questionnaires to fill out. No one, however, was interviewed under caution by the police.
All fines given out were for breaching restrictions on gatherings, with the exception of the 20 May 2020 garden party. This was said to have breached restrictions on “leaving, or being outside of, the place where you were living without reasonable excuse”.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Helen Ball, of the Met said: “There is no doubt that the pandemic impacted all of us in so many ways and strong feelings and opinions have been expressed on this particular issue.
“When Covid regulations were introduced, the Met was clear that whilst we would not routinely investigate breaches of regulations retrospectively, there may be occasions when it would be appropriate to do so.
The information that we received with regard to the alleged breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall was sufficient to reach our criteria to begin such an investigation.
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“Our investigation was thorough and impartial and was completed as quickly as we could, given the amount of information that needed to be reviewed and the importance of ensuring that we had strong evidence for each FPN referral.”
Feature image – Commons Wikimedia
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Popular bar chain The Alchemist to rewind back to 2010 with cocktails and dishes for £6 next month
Emily Sergeant
One of the UK’s most popular bar chains is celebrating its sweet 16th birthday next month by winding back to 2010.
Money is always tight in January, right?
Once Christmas is over with, and so is the festive feasting and drinking, many like to use the first month of the new year to lay low and save some money back up – which is why The Alchemist is launching a limited-edition ‘2010 Revival Menu’, bringing back some of its most iconic early cocktails and dishes – all at their original prices from 16 years ago.
For the whole month, you can enjoy the curated throwback selection starting from £6, which i perfectly timed for a month of saving without sacrificing going out.
The Alchemist is rewinding back to 2010 with cocktails and dishes for £6 / Credit: The Manc Group
The 2010 Revival Menu includes the return of the fan-favourite White Chocolate Raspberry Martini for £6 on the cocktail menu, which was an early Alchemist staple, alongside other fan-favourites like the Colour Changing One and Virgin Pornstar, both for £6 again.
When it comes to food dishes for £6, you can tuck into a selection of different refreshing salads, while stretching your budget up to £10 will get you things like Chicken in a Basket, a Cheeseburger, and Fish and Chips.
Other iconic Alchemist cocktails returning for a fraction of the price next month include the popular Smoky Old Fashioned, and Dead Read Zombie – both for £8.
The Alchemist opened its original bar in Manchester‘s swanky Spinningfields district all the way back in 2010, and quickly became a popular and stylish destination with its high ceilings and industrial features, and has since developed into a much larger chain – with not only more Manchester destinations, but others across the UK too.
Macclesfield FC player Ethan McLeod tragically killed in car crash
Danny Jones
Local footballer Ethan McLeod, who played for Macclesfield FC, has sadly died following a tragic car crash on the motorway.
The Birmingham-born player and former Wolves academy talent was driving back home from Macclesfield’s away game against Bedford Town on Tuesday night when he was involved in a collision along the M1.
Just 21 years old, the talented Cheshire-based forward was a substitute in the 2-1 win over the East Midlands side in the National League North.
The accident is said to have occurred at around 10:40pm on 16 December near Northampton after his white Mercedes collided with a barrier.
You can read the official Silkmen statement in full down below:
“With the heaviest of hearts and an overwhelming sense of surrealism that Macclesfield FC can confirm the passing of 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod.
Travelling back from Bedford Town last night, Ethan was involved in a car accident on the M1, which tragically took his life. Ethan was an incredibly talented and well-respected member of our First Team Squad, who had his whole life ahead of him.
“But more than that, Ethan’s infectious personality endeared him to everyone that he came into contact with. In giving his all in everything he did, Ethan effortlessly pushed us all to be the best we can be – both on and off the pitch.
“Ethan’s professionalism and unwavering work ethic inspired everyone, and his lust for life put smiles on all our faces – even on the darkest of days. News of Ethan’s passing has devastated our entire Club, and no words can convey the immense sense of sadness and loss that we feel now.
Rest in peace, Ethan McLeod.
The Macclesfield FC forward was involved in a car accident that took his life when travelling back from Bedford Town on Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/A3u7JFmdlE
“The deep mental scars elicited from Ethan’s passing will undeniably never heal”, they continued, “but one thing is for sure, and that is Ethan’s vibrant legacy will never fade, no matter how much time passes in the future.
“Ethan will live in our hearts and minds forevermore, and no matter what the future holds, his unique smile that mesmerised us all will never be forgotten.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to Ethan’s family and friends at this deeply traumatic time, together with an assurance that we will provide as much support as we can to those who need it. May you rest in peace, Ethan – you will forever be a Silkman.
His past clubs, as well as plenty of other teams, organisations and people in and around the footballing world, are paying tribute to the promising youngster.
Rest in peace.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Macclesfield forward Ethan McLeod who has passed away following a car accident last night.
The 21 year old spent a number of years with the academy setup at Wolves and will be missed by many. #WWFCpic.twitter.com/MSjKaISMKT
Georgina Pellant -
19th May 2022 
