Police launch probe into Tory HQ’s ‘Jingle & Mingle’ bash and Partygate inquisitor’s lockdown-busting drinks

POLICE are assessing whether to open three more Partygate investigations following the emergence of new evidence.

A pandemic party at Tory HQ, potential dos at No.10 and an alleged birthday drinks for Privileges Committee MP Sir Bernard Jenkin are under the spotlight.

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The Met are assessing whether to open formal investigations into three more lockdown parties[/caption]

A spokesperson for the Met said: “It would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of these assessments or to provide a running commentary on their progress.

“We will provide further updates at the appropriate time.”

A previous cop probe into Westminster lockdown parties resulted in 126 Fixed Penalty Notice referrals, relating to 83 individuals.

But not all the parties looked into ended with fines.

A Tory “Jingle and Mingle” Christmas bash, hosted by former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey, was investigated last year.

No action was taken at the time but the emergence of a new video showing dancing staffers have led the Met to consider reopening the case.

Also under the spotlight again is Boris Johnson, whose pandemic diaries have revealed new potential breaches between June 2020 and May 2021 at Downing Street and Chequers.

Meanwhile, a birthday drinks for Tory backbencher Sir Bernard Jenkin in December 2020 will be looked into.

Sir Bernard is on of seven members of the Privileges Committee, which produced last week’s damning report into Mr Johnson.

The committee found the ex-PM lied to the Commons about parties and ordered he be banned from keeping a coveted parliamentary pass.

Mr Johnson hit out after the Guido Fawkes blog revealed Sir Bernard went to the gathering in Parliament to celebrate his wife’s birthday.

In a raging statement he said: “If this is true it is outrageous and a total contempt of parliament.

“Bernard Jenkin has just voted to expel me from parliament for allegedly trying to conceal from parliament my knowledge of illicit events. In reality of course I did no such thing.

“Now it turns out he may have for the whole time known that he himself attended an event – and concealed this from the privileges committee and the whole House for the last year.”

The Met today said it only launches investigations into retrospective covid breaches when certain criteria is met.

That criteria includes when “it is proportionate and there was evidence that those involved knew or ought to have known what they were doing was an offence”.

It also includes when “there was little ambiguity around the absence of a reasonable defence”.