Boris Johnson escapes new police probe into lockdown rallies at Checkers and No10

Disgraced ex-PM has been reported to police after entries in his ministerial diary revealed a series of potentially rule-breaking events , including visits from friends in his retirement country

Boris Johnson has been found guilty of lying to MPs when he denied anti-lockdown parties had taken place at No 10 (

Image: AP)

Boris Johnson will escape a new police investigation into alleged breaches of lockdown rules at No10 and Checkers.

The disgraced ex-PM has been reported to police after entries in his ministerial diaries revealed that 16 other gatherings may have breached the rules, including visits by friends to his country home between June 2020 and May 2021.

The Cabinet Office, which made the referral to officers, uncovered the alleged breaches in Downing Street and the 16th Century retreat in Buckinghamshire as they sifted through documents ahead of the public inquiry into the Covid-19.

The new claims surfaced in May this year as Mr Johnson awaited the verdict of the House of Commons Privileges Committee – which concluded last month that he had misled MPs when he denied that any anti-lockdown parties had taken place at No 10.

But the former Tory leader, who was slapped with a fine after attending a rally to mark his 56th birthday, was spared this time.

Boris Johnson has already been fined after attending a rally to mark his 56th birthday (

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The Metropolitan Police said tonight they and Thames Valley Police had assessed the new evidence and 'concluded they did not meet the retrospective criteria to open an investigation'.

Meanwhile Scotland Yard has reopened its investigation into a drunken lockdown party at Tory HQ after the Mirror published explosive video of the event.

The Metropolitan Police initially decided not to investigate a 'jingle and mingle' party in December 2020, organized by the campaign for failed Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey. No fines were imposed on participants.

Mr. Bailey is set to be installed in the House of Lords as a peer for life within weeks - although calls for him to be stripped of that honor were made immediately after news broke of the new police investigation.

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