Two people did not fill in Partygate questionnaires, police say

Officers handed out more than two hundred questionnaires while investigating lockdown breaching parties in Downing Street and Whitehall.

Boris Johnson was fined after sending his form back to the police.

Two people did not return Partygate questionnaires issued to them by police investigating lockdown parties in Downing Street and Whitehall, police have confirmed. Metropolitan Police sent questionnaires to people suspected of being involved in illegal gatherings at the heart of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The questionnaires saw people, including Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, issued fines for breaking the rules by attending social events during the lockdown. In a letter to Scottish Liberal Democratic chief whip Wendy Chamberlain, seen by the Sunday Mirror, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors said that of the 204 questionnaires sent out, two were not returned.

Ms Connors said the individuals were still "assessed against all the available evidence".

Ms Chamberlain said: "Serious questions remain around the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into Boris Johnson’s law-breaking parties in Downing Street. Repeatedly Johnson has lied." She added: "The public now deserves full transparency."

Ms Connors said: "It’s vital that we find out more about the two individuals who failed to return a questionnaire to the police, whether they were Conservative ministers or senior officials, and if one or both received a fine. We also need urgent clarity over claims that some individuals did not fill in their questionnaires appropriately.

"The public would be rightly angry if it turns out Johnson or his Downing Street evaded justice by failing to answer questions from the police properly."

In her letter, Ms Connors added: "We understand the intense interest, feelings and opinions on this case given the pandemic affected so many people in many ways.

"Therefore, I can assure you and the public that the small but skilled team investigating this matter have acted diligently, proportionately, carefully, and impartially."

A Number 10 spokesperson said it was "up to individuals" to return questionnaires.