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HomeUKPolice restart Tory 'jingle and mingle' investigation

Police restart Tory ‘jingle and mingle’ investigation

The Metropolitan Police is reopening an investigation into violations of Covid regulations at a Conservative Party holiday party.

The Sunday Mirror published a video of the event, at which attendants were encouraged to “mingle and jingle.”

Police say they will not investigate alleged gatherings at Boris Johnson’s country residence, Chequers when he was prime minister.

In addition, they are currently investigating a parliamentary affair on December 8, 2020.

According to the Guido Fawkes website, Sir Bernard Jenkin, a Conservative backbencher, participated in this event.

Sir Bernard is on the Commons Privileges Committee, which delivered a harsh report on Mr. Johnson last month.

Police restart tory 'jingle and mingle' investigation
Police restart tory 'jingle and mingle' investigation

He stated that it would be improper to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Mr. Johnson, who resigned as an MP after launching a scathing attack against the committee, had accused Sir Bernard of “monstrous hypocrisy” if the Guido Fawkes website’s allegations were true.

Conservative Virginia Crosbie apologised for attending the event during Covid restrictions.

The Member of Parliament for Ynys Mon verified the event took place but stated that invitations were not sent out.

Last year, the Met police investigated the December 2020 party at Tory HQ after a photo surfaced of former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and Tory advisers raising their glasses next to buffet food when indoor socializing was prohibited in the area.

In November, the Met announced that Mr. Bailey and the others depicted would face no further action.

As the Mirror’s video was not previously provided to officers, they have now announced that they are reopening their investigation.

A gathering invites guests to a “jingle and mingle” celebration.

Mr. Bailey, who was awarded a seat in the House of Lords as part of Mr. Johnson’s resignation honors list, previously stated that he apologized “unreservedly” for the event, which he claimed “turned into something” after he departed.

He stated that he was “extremely upset” by the video because he had “never seen it before.”

The Liberal Democrats suggested Prime Minister Rishi Sunak block Mr. Bailey from becoming a peer during the probe.

There is no Johnson investigation.

In the meantime, the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police stated that they would not investigate potential rule violations at Downing Street and Chequers between June 2020 and May 2021.

As part of preparations for the Covid investigation, the forces stated in May that they were evaluating information provided to them by Cabinet Office officials after a review of Mr. Johnson’s official diary.

Thames Valley police investigated Mr. Johnson’s family and colleagues’ travels to Chequers in Buckinghamshire during the pandemic.

The Met was investigating the possibility of additional rule violations at Downing Street.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the forces said that after “further clarification” of the diary entries. They determined that the events did not “meet the retrospective criteria for launching an investigation.”

Mr. Johnson denied that there had been any Covid violations at the events, claiming that the actions of the Cabinet Office bore “all the hallmarks” of a “politically motivated frame-up.”

The Cabinet Office said the police received “normal” document review information.

Mr. Johnson resigned as an MP last month after a Commons committee accused him of misleading the House of Commons regarding separate incidents in Downing Street during the pandemic.

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