Police contacting people who attended Tory HQ Christmas party over alleged breaches of Covid laws

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Police are contacting two people who attended a Christmas party at the Conservative Party headquarters over alleged breaches of coronavirus laws.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was aware of the gathering at the building in Matthew Parker Street, Westminster, on 14 December last year.

“Officers will be making contact with two people who attended in relation to alleged breaches of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations,” a spokesperson said. Police did not identify the two people being spoken to.

Former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey apologised “unreservedly” for attending the party after being shown in a photograph published by the Daily Mirror.

It showed him posing alongside more than 20 other people wearing party hats or holding drinks, next to a buffet.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party previously said: “Senior CCHQ (Conservative Campaign Headquarters) staff became aware of an unauthorised social gathering in the basement of Matthew Parker Street organised by the Bailey campaign on the evening of 14 December.

“Formal disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff who were seconded to the Bailey campaign.”

Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Party politicians on the London Assembly had written to commissioner Dame Cressida Dick demanding an investigation, saying the photo indicated “a clear breach of the regulations”.

Scotland Yard said it was still not investigating an alleged Christmas Party at Downing Street on 18 December 2020, or other reported gatherings including a festive quiz on 15 December 202, leaving do and a Department for Education event.

A spokesperson said police were in touch with the Cabinet Office over a probe being led by Simon Case into the gatherings, and “if any evidence emerges of behaviour that is potentially a criminal offence it will be passed to the Met for further consideration”.

The force said it had received a “significant amount of material in relation to the allegations reported in the media”.

“All the material has been considered by detectives in detail and it does not provide evidence of a breach of the Health Protection Regulations,” a spokesperson added.

“In line with our policy where we do not normally investigate breaches of these regulations when they are reported long after they are said to have taken place, unless there is evidence from the Cabinet Office or other evidence comes to light, the Met will not at this time commence an investigation.”

The Health Protection Regulations were used to enforce national lockdowns and other coronavirus restrictions at different stages in the pandemic.

At the time of the alleged Downing Street and CCHQ events, London was under “tier 2” restrictions that banned indoor gatherings unless legal exemptions applied.

The scandal grew on Thursday after a joint investigation by The Independent and The Guardian revealed that Boris Johnson allegedly joined Downing Street officials for a party during the first Covid-19 lockdown.

The gathering took place on 15 May 2020, after the then health secretary Matt Hancock had delivered a televised press conference, noting that 384 coronavirus deaths had been recorded in the previous 24 hours.

When questioned about the alleged parties during a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday, the prime minister said: “I follow the rules. Everybody across politics should follow the rules.”