Downing Street Covid breaches spark more than 50 referrals for fixed penalty notices from Met Police

Police investigating allegations of lockdown parties held in Downing Street and Whitehall have now made more than 50 referrals for fines.

At least 30 more fixed penalty notices will be issued by the ACRO Criminal Records Office, the Metropolitan Police said in its latest update on Operation Hillman, which is looking into breaches of Covid-19 regulations.

This is up from the 20 referrals the force said had been made at the end of March.

Scotland Yard said it was “making every effort to progress this investigation at speed”, with the possibility of more fines to come.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “The investigation into allegations of breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street continues to progress.

“As of Tuesday, 12 April 2022, we have made over 50 referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPN) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations who, following the referral, issue the FPNs to the individual.

“We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed, this includes continuing to assess significant amounts of investigative material from which further referrals may be made to ACRO.”