Police to email 50 people in Downing Street party inquiry

The Metropolitan Police will email more than 50 people as part of its inquiry into lockdown parties at Downing Street and Whitehall.

A questionnaire will be sent to people alleged to have been at any of eight events between May 2020 and April 2021.

It will ask for their account of what happened and "must be answered truthfully," the Met said.

The document will hold legal status and must be answered in seven days, the force said.

The Met has called its investigation into alleged breaches of Covid-19 regulations in government buildings Operation Hillman.

The newspaper said the photo was taken on 15 December 2020 - while Covid restrictions were in place - during a No 10 "virtual" Christmas quiz.

But it is not one of the parties currently under police investigation.

A statement from police said: "The [Met] previously assessed this event and determined that on the basis of the evidence available at that time, it did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation.

"That assessment is now being reviewed."

Operation Hillman officers are examining 12 parties in Downing Street and Whitehall over the course of the pandemic - some of which the PM attended - to see if Covid regulations were broken.

These parties were referred to the police following an independent inquiry by senior civil servant Sue Gray, who has only published her initial findings while the Met carries out its work.