U.K. police quiz Boris Johnson’s staff as new ‘party’ photo emerges of PM with Champagne bottle

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under renewed pressure over parties held at his Downing Street office during the pandemic, after U.K. police said they would contact more than 50 people over the gatherings and a potentially damaging new photo emerged showing the prime minister at a Christmas event.

Police will send formal questionnaires to people they believe took part in the events and responses will be required within seven days. More people could also be contacted in the “coming days and weeks,” London’s Metropolitan Police wrote in an emailed statement late Wednesday, without saying whether Johnson was among those who would be sent a questionnaire.

The police announcement was the latest setback for Johnson over what the media has dubbed “partygate,” following publication by the Daily Mirror newspaper of a photo showing him at a Christmas event in 2020 with staff and what looks like an open Champagne bottle on a table.

Johnson’s office has previously described the event as a “virtual quiz” in which the prime minister “briefly took part,” and it was not included in the police probe of the alleged parties. But after the photo emerged, the Metropolitan Police said it would review its earlier decision to exclude it.

At the time, pandemic rules in London banned social mixing between households. The regulations also stated: “Although there are exemptions for work purposes, you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity.”

Clinging on

Johnson has spent weeks trying to get past the party allegations, which have left him clinging to power as more members of his ruling Conservative Party call on him to resign. He has promised rank-and-file members of parliament more influence over government decisions and reset his senior team to try to fend off the rebellion.

On Wednesday, Johnson said he plans to lift remaining coronavirus restrictions by the end of February in England, a month earlier than planned, in another move that is likely to please some members of his party.

Yet many Tory MPs have said they are waiting for the final results of the police investigation before deciding whether to try to oust him.

Some developments are going in Johnson’s favor, including a recess of Parliament beginning Thursday. Restive MPs will be away from Westminster, making an imminent move against him less likely.

More time

The Metropolitan Police statement also suggests the police probe could still take weeks to reach their conclusions, buying Johnson more time to try to steady the ship.

On Wednesday, Johnson brushed off the Mirror photo in his weekly question-and-answer session with lawmakers in Parliament, saying “that event already has been submitted for investigation.”

Last week, a preliminary civil service report into the parties identified “failures of leadership and judgment” at the top of Johnson’s administration and criticized a culture of “excessive” drinking. Senior civil servant Sue Gray had to hold back her full findings because of the police probe.

The Metropolitan Police said officers are examining more than 500 documents and 300 images relating to the gatherings and that they would be requesting more information from the government. People found to have broken the virus restrictions without a reasonable excuse would normally be fined, they said.