London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 20, 2026

Boris Johnson faces police questionnaire deadline over No 10 parties

Boris Johnson faces police questionnaire deadline over No 10 parties

Boris Johnson has until 22:00 GMT on Friday to answer a questionnaire from the Metropolitan Police about his participation in No 10 parties when Covid restrictions were in force.

The prime minister was one of more than 50 people sent the document by officers looking at potential lockdown breaches.

Lawyers have been advising Mr Johnson about his response.

The BBC understands Downing Street is not currently planning to confirm when the PM has submitted his survey.

Mr Johnson has previously said he did not believe he had broken any lockdown rules, but apologised "for the things we simply didn't get right".

The Met investigation into 12 events held across government was launched in late January, after an internal inquiry led by civil servant Sue Gray passed information to the force.

She did not publish her full report due to the police investigation, but in her initial findings, Ms Gray criticised "failures of leadership" in No 10.

The police said a fine would be issued to anyone found to have breached Covid regulations, though a decision is not expected for weeks.

In a letter sent on Thursday, Ms Gray said she would allow staff being questioned by police to view notes on the evidence they gave to her inquiry.

But the BBC understands those staff will only have access to notes on their interviews, so they cannot see what others have said about the gatherings.

For months, the PM has been dogged by reports of staff parties in Downing Street during lockdown.

Several Conservative MPs have called for Mr Johnson to resign over the row, but others have said they would withhold their judgement until the police investigation had concluded.

Last week, the Met said it would contact people "believed to have taken part in the events in question to get their accounts".

The force said it would send questionnaires that have "formal legal status and must be answered truthfully", and that needed to be responded to within seven days.

Mr Johnson received his questionnaire last Friday, but Downing Street has since said his answers would not be made public.

How PM hopes to get off the hook

The prime minister has made it clear what his defence will be.

Boris Johnson's allies don't know for sure whether his explanation will work, but here's how they think it might...

Firstly, there have not been many retrospective prosecutions for breaking lockdown laws.

Secondly, the prime minister has argued both publicly and privately that the events he was at can be reasonably seen as work.

If he makes that case, will the Met have enough evidence to conclude he is wrong? The bar, some believe, is likely to be high.

Mr Johnson hopes that will be enough to get him off the hook.

If it doesn't, there could be a new wave of political crises for the prime minister and more Conservative MPs could try to force him out.

The PM has declined to answer questions on the subject throughout the week.

He told reporters in Scotland: "All that process has got to be completed before I can say anything more, but I look forward to telling you a lot more in due course."

Of the dates being investigated by the police, Mr Johnson is known to have been present at three gatherings, including a "bring your own booze" garden event on 20 May 2020.

Mr Johnson's wife, Carrie Johnson, was expected to be among those sent a questionnaire, but it has not been confirmed.

It is understood that Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who lives in Downing Street in a separate flat to Mr Johnson, has not received a similar questionnaire yet.

While the PM has said he would tell the public if he received a fixed penalty notice, police are unlikely to identify anyone else if they have been fined.

When Parliament reconvenes next week, the Liberal Democrats are planning an attempt to force the government to reveal whether ministers and senior officials had been fined.

The party has tabled a "humble address" motion which, if passed, would require Ms Gray's report to be published in full, alongside all evidence - including photographs.

Detectives investigating the parties have been handed more than 500 documents and 300 images gathered as part of Ms Gray's inquiry.


Watch: What has the PM said before about alleged No 10 parties?


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ed Sheeran Tour Faces Backlash After Macklemore Is Removed Over Pro-Palestinian Remarks
Vandalism of Traffic Cameras Intensifies Across Parts of England
Nearly 300 Evacuated as Fire Hits Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone
King Charles Warns AI Executives About Risks From Uncontrolled Technology
Church of England Apologises for Role in Historical Forced Adoption Practices
UK Debate Over Online Speech Intensifies After Arrest Figures Draw Scrutiny
Oxfordshire Village Holds Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice Sue National Crime Agency Over Alleged Banking Data Leaks
Apple Introduces Stricter Age Checks for UK Accounts
BBC Cash Reserves Fall 66% to £125 Million as Broadcaster Restructures
McLaren Announces £500 Million UK Investment and Plans 1,000 Jobs
Green Party Wins Historic Gorton and Denton By-Election as Labour Falls to Third
Burnham Government Prepares October Budget Under Growing Fiscal Pressure
UK Energy Suppliers Pull Fixed-Price Deals as Wholesale Markets Turn More Volatile
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shock Raises Inflation Risks
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20 Million UK Tax Tribunal Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Losses on About £190 Million of Debt
Harrods Seeks to Recover Abuse Compensation Costs From Mohamed Al Fayed’s Estate
Ed Davey Targets Reform UK as Liberal Democrat Conference Opens
Great Britain Retail Sales Rise 0.5% in August
NHS England Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Incurable Breast Cancer
Proposals to Limit NHS ADHD Diagnoses Draw Criticism From Patient Groups
Resolution Foundation Warns of Housing Cost Crunch for Low-Income UK Families
BBC Cash Reserves Fall to Decade Low as Annual Deficit Reaches £121 Million
Millisecond Software Error Triggered Major UK Air Traffic Control Disruption
Twenty Women Underwent Unnecessary Mastectomies During NHS Cancer Care
Sensitive UK Police Data Found Vulnerable to Access by Foreign Actors
British Steel Faces Renewed Pressure for a Long-Term Financial Plan
MPs Urge Government to End Thames Water Restructuring Talks With U.S. Hedge Funds
Andy Burnham Warns of Difficult UK Budget Choices as Inflation Returns to 3.1%
England Tightens School Food Standards With Restrictions on Deep-Fried and High-Sugar Foods
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Proposed Asylum Centre
Michael Marra Elected Leader of Scottish Labour
BBC Cash Reserves Fall Sharply as Financial Pressures Mount
George Osborne Calls for UK to Rejoin EU Customs Union
UK Explores Joining Canada-Led Global Defence Bank
Thirlwall Inquiry Highlights Management Failures Surrounding Lucy Letby Crimes
Parliamentary Committee Calls for New UK Law to Address AI Risks to Human Rights
UK Considers Giving Regional Mayors Greater Oversight of Water Companies
UK Opposition Presses Burnham for Stronger Response to Russian Security Threats
Reform UK Faces Scrutiny Over £72 Million in Donations as Political Finance Rules Tighten
Millisecond Software Failure Behind UK Air-Traffic Outage That Cancelled More Than 2,000 Flights
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Energy Prices Complicate Inflation Outlook
Burnham Warns of Difficult Choices in October Budget as UK Inflation Rises to 3.1%
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20.5 Million Non-Domicile Tax Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Heavy Losses After Collapse
Thirteenth Metropolitan Police Officer Dismissed Over Charing Cross Conduct
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
NHS Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Women With Incurable Breast Cancer
Software Defect Blamed for Major UK Air Traffic Disruption
×