Police fine 24 people over Tory HQ Partygate video after Mirror exposé
Scotland Yard has fined 24 people over a lockdown-busting Christmas bash in Tory HQ after the Mirror exposed bombshell video footage.
The Metropolitan Police re-opened its investigation into the “Jingle and Mingle” event after requesting the damning video of aides dancing, drinking and laughing at Covid rules.
The explosive tape, published by the Mirror in June, shows Conservative officials partying - including a couple knocking over wine glasses as they spiral into a table laden with buffet food. The unsteady pair twirl each other around to the sounds of The Pogues' Fairytale of New York.
It was the first ever footage to have emerged of one of the Partygate events in Westminster. In the video, which shows a karaoke machine with flashing lights, partygoers joke about how they are breaking the rules. It was filmed in December 2020 when socialising indoors was banned in many parts of the country including London.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley earlier this year said the new footage told a much clearer story than a previously seen photograph of the Christmas do. Officers closed an earlier investigation into the bash after concluding there was insufficient evidence to hand out fines. The force announced in July that it had re-opened its inquiries after the Mirror agreed to a request to hand over the tape.
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In a statement tonight, the Metropolitan Police said: "Having assessed that new evidence the Met has made 24 referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations." But it refused to name those who have been fined, saying: "We will not be releasing or confirming the identity of anyone involved... or providing further details of our findings, in line with the approach we took throughout the pandemic."
Two of the attendees - failed London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and campaign aide Ben Mallet - were recognised in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours. It was announced in June shortly before the publication of the tape that the pair would receive a peerage and an OBE respectively.
But Rishi Sunak has ignored calls from families bereaved in the pandemic to strip them of their gongs. Angry relatives accused the Tory campaign staff of “dancing on the graves of those who died”. Lord Bailey, who holds the Tory whip, has previously apologised "unreservedly" for the event organised by his campaign team, and said it was a "serious error of judgment".
A Conservative Party spokesman said the gathering was "unauthorised". "Formal disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff who were seconded to the Bailey campaign," they added.
Labour’s Party Chair Anneliese Dodds said: “While the British people made huge sacrifices to save lives during the pandemic, we’ve seen countless examples of Conservatives thinking the rules simply don’t apply to them. Despite this, Rishi Sunak still saw fit to allow Shaun Bailey to enter the House of Lords. This clearly demonstrates his promise of professionalism, integrity and accountability is nothing more than a hollow joke.”
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