The Metropolitan Police has made referrals for 24 fines over a lockdown-defying party attended by Shaun Bailey’s London mayoral campaign team at Conservative Party Headquarters (CCHQ).
Fixed-penalty notices have been issued to attendees of the “jingle and mingle” event in December 2020. Lord Bailey attended the party but it’s unclear whether or not he was slapped with one of the fines.
Lord Bailey previously apologised “unreservedly” for the bash, which was organised by his campaign team following his unsuccessful bid for London mayor.
He branded it a “serious error of judgement”.
The party took place on Matthew Parker Street in a basement while the country was gripped by Covid restrictions.
On December 14 2020, when the do took place, London was under Tier-2 restrictions meaning people from different households were forbidden from socialising together indoors.
What’s more, that same day an announcement was made that the capital would be moving into Tier-3 restrictions on December 16.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Having assessed that new evidence, the Met has made 24 referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations.”
A Conservative Party spokesman said the gathering was “unauthorised”.
“Senior CCHQ staff became aware of an unauthorised social gathering in the basement of Matthew Parker Street organised by the Bailey campaign on the evening of 14 December 2020,” the spokesman said.
“Formal disciplinary action was taken against the four CCHQ staff who were seconded to the Bailey campaign.”
