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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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Eight arrested and £20k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids in Rochdale

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Police have seized £20,000 cash and a large quantity of drugs during early-morning drug raids in Rochdale this week.

Eight people have also been arrested, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.

The significant seizes and arrests come after detectives from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group executed 11 warrants at addresses across Rochdale and Lancashire yesterday morning (17 April), that were believed to be connected to a large-scale drugs conspiracy.

As well as raiding a number of residential properties, several warrants were also executed at premises that police believed to be ‘stash houses’.

A search of all premises raided lead to several mobile phones, quantities of cocaine, and cannabis plants all being seized, as well as an estimated £20,000 in cash.

Eight people have been arrested and £20k cash has been seized during early-morning police raids in Rochdale / Credit: GMP

Following the raids, a total of eight people, who are between the ages of 27 and 56, have all been arrested on conspiracy to supply drugs, it has been confirmed, and they currently remain in police custody for questioning.

These are the latest arrests in what is part of GMP’s ongoing investigations into the criminal use of encrypted mobile phones.

Back in 2020, as a result of the NCA take down of Encrochat – which is the encrypted messaging platform once used by criminals across the globe – GMP was handed hundreds and thousands of messages from the once-secure platform, and it gave detectives “insight into the criminal underworld which had never been seen before”.

Over the last few years, GMP says it has been “systematically” working its way through these messages to attribute them to criminals across Greater Manchester and the North West.

“We have seen great huge successes to date,” GMP has admitted.

Speaking following the early-morning raids in Rochdale and Lancashire yesterday, Detective Sergeant Rich McCorry, from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group, said in a statement: “The ability for criminals to benefit from the proceeds of drugs is a key driver for organised crime, and we have specialist detectives working tirelessly to eliminate the key players from criminal networks across the region.

“[Yesterday’s] action is a result of months of hard work by detectives, whose proactive investigations into the drugs trade in Manchester has led them through these doors today.

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“We will continue to employ every possible tactic to target and disrupt organised crime groups, and ensure they are brought to justice.”

Featured Image – GMP

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Mother of Manchester Arena attack victim to walk to Downing Street to demand new security law

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The mother of a Manchester Arena attack victim is to walk from Manchester to Downing Street to demand a new security law.

Figen Murray OBE, whose son, Martyn Hett, was one of the 22 victims that sadly lost their life during the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, has been tirelessly campaigning for the introduction of new legislation that tightens security protocols at public venues across the UK for several years now – but this will be her biggest challenge yet.

On 7 May, she plans to set off from the place where Martyn died in Manchester city centre, and walk all the way to Downing Street.

Her expected arrival in London on 22 May will be both the seventh anniversary of the horrific attack, and of her son’s death.

The legislation Ms Murray is campaigning for the introduction of is known as ‘Martyn’s Law’, and it will require premises to fulfil what the Government has called “necessary but proportionate” steps, according to their capacity, to help keep the general public safe.

The law was approved in September 2022, but is still yet to be formally introduced.

A consultation was launched back in February to help work out the best way to introduce the law nationwide, and the public was invited to have their say on the proposals which sought to “scale-up preparedness for terrorist attacks” and make sure the public is protected – but this consultation closed on 18 March, and the results are said to be being considered by the Government, according to BBC reports.

Ms Murray is expected to be joined by Brendan Cox – the widower of MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016 – and Nick Aldworth, who is a former national counter-terrorism coordinator, on her march to Downing Street.

Figen Murray’s son, Martyn Hett, who lost his life during the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 / Credit: gov.uk

She will also pay her respects at the sites of a number of terror attacks along the way on her 200-mile journey.

Reflecting on it being almost five years on from the Government’s original commitment to ‘Martyn’s Law’ ahead of her walk to London, Ms Murray says she believes the fact that the draft legislation still hasn’t been tabled is “putting our country at risk”.

“No parent should have to experience the pain and loss I’ve felt,” Ms Murray told the BBC.

“I truly believe we have an opportunity to make public spaces safer and more secure by introducing Martyn’s Law.”

Following the closing of the public consultation on ‘Martyn’s Law’ last month, a Home Office spokesperson thanked Ms Murray for her “tireless support in the development of this vital reform”.

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The spokesperson’s statement continues: “We are reviewing the findings [of the public consultation] to ensure all feedback is fully considered, and working to finalise the legislation with a view to introducing it as soon as parliamentary time allows.”

Featured Image – Figen Murray / BBC

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