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Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to be fined over lockdown parties

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 12th April 2022

It has just been announced that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are to receive fines for attending parties during lockdown.

A No 10 spokesperson confirmed today that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had received notification from the Metropolitan Police that they would be given fixed penalty notices as part of a wider investigation into a series of gatherings held at Downing Street and Whitehall when COVID-19 restrictions were in place back in 2020 and 2021.

However, the spokesperson said they had not been told which event the fine was for, and declined to provide further information at this time.

It comes after the Metropolitan Police launched an official investigation back in January into 12 events where restrictions may have been breached, with a total of more than 50 fines having been handed out so far.

Read more: Leaks reveal more boozy Downing Street lockdown parties were held when indoor mixing was banned

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Police issued the first 20 fines on 1 April to people who attended a leaving party for a Number 10 official on 18 June 2020 in the Cabinet Office building at 70 Whitehall, and then some of those fines were also handed out to people who attended two events on 16 April 2021, which shocked the nation as it was the day before Prince Philip’s funeral.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are to receive fines for attending parties during lockdown / Credit: Flickr

At the time the investigation was launched, the Met said they would “police without fear or favour”, and provide updates “at significant points” in its inquiry, but said they would not be naming those who received the fines.

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The government promised to reveal if Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak were among them, however.

Read more: Police launch an official investigation into Downing Street lockdown parties

After the news broke this afternoon, leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, has spoken out in response to the fines in a statement on Twitter, calling for both the Prime Minister and Rishi Sunak to resign.

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“Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign. The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern.

“Britain deserves better.”

Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, has also called for Parliament – which is currently on its Easter recess – to be recalled to hold a no confidence vote in the Prime Minister, as “no other leader in any other organisation would be allowed to continue after law-breaking on this scale.”

“This is a government in crisis neglecting a country in crisis,” he added on Twitter.

Featured Image – Parliament.TV

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Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Harvey Bell mugshot

A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.

Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.

At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.

Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.

He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.

Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.

The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.

“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.

“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”

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She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.

“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”

Featured Image – GMP

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IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.

The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.

The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.

IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.

IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)

Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.

Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.

IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.

Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.

The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)

In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.

“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.

“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”

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Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester. 

Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.

Featured Image – Jon Super (via IKEA)

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