Met Police could face legal action over ‘failure’ to investigate Downing Street party
The Metropolitan Police could be taken to court if it does not investigate reports of the Downing Street Christmas Party in 2020, campaigners have warned.
The Good Law Project last week said it had put the force on notice that it would take legal action if police did not investigate the gathering.
A spokesperson for the organisation, which uses the law to ‘protect the interests of the public’, said yesterday it had filed its claim in court.
In a statement on its website, the project said: ‘When we received the Met’s formal pre-action response to our judicial review claim, over its failure to apply the same criminal law to the prime minister as it applies to others, they told us not to publish it.
‘We have never before been asked to keep a pre-action response hidden from you, our supporters and funders.
‘Yesterday, we filed our claim in court.
‘The Met now have until February 10 to provide their formal response.
‘We also wrote to the Met telling them that when we get that response, we will publish the grounds for our claim.
‘We will also publish their response.
‘If they want to, we invite them to make an application to the court to continue to maintain this secrecy.
‘If they make such an application, we will let you know. Our position on that application to the court will be that justice must be seen to be done.’
A Met spokesperson said the force received a letter before the claim on December 10 which it responded to, adding that there was ‘nothing further to add at this time’.
There have been numerous allegations of parties held at Downing Street over the festive period, and later dates, which breached restrictions.
Allegra Stratton, No 10 press secretary, quit her post last month following a leaked video of her joking with aides about a party held in December 2020 and the PM has faced lots of questions himself.
Senior civil servant Sue Gray has been tasked with unpicking various allegations of gatherings in Whitehall.
The inquiry was announced six weeks ago but its publication has been repeatedly delayed by new revelations and details of further gatherings coming to light.
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