Boris Johnson was sent to the police by the Cabinet Office for breaking the coronavirus rules during his time as the Prime Minister of the UK.
Civil servants gave information to the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police last week that were obtained by lawyers working for the government on evidence to give to the public to investigate Covid-19.
The information includes Johnson’s documents showing trips to Downing Street and Checkers, the country where he is the UK prime minister, with friends and family during the pandemic, The Times reported. report the second.
A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: “The information was discovered during the preparation of evidence to be given to the Covid investigation. It was discovered as part of the regular review of documents that may be relevant which is being produced by the legal team to investigate witnesses.
“In accordance with the provisions of the civil service law, the matter has been referred to the relevant authorities and is now their matter.”
An official in the government said that the decision to send things to the police was made without a minister and said that Number 10 was only informed after this happened.
A spokesman for the former prime minister said: “Some of the abridged notes in Mr Johnson’s diary were requested by [the] The Cabinet Office during the preparation of the Covid investigation.
“Following a review of the documents, Johnson’s lawyers wrote to the Cabinet Office committee and the Privileges Committee to explain that the event was legal and did not violate any Covid laws.”
The House of Commons privilege committee is investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs at Downing Street parties held during the coronavirus lockdown.
An aide to Johnson said the message from the cabinet’s office was “politically motivated” and that government officials did not inform him of the matter so he could respond before it was handed over to the police.
Johnson’s agent was “advised by lawyers that all of these activities were legal and did not violate any restrictions” and that he had not spoken to the police.
The last year of Johnson’s presidency was mainly defined by the revelations about the parties held in Downing Street and Whitehall during the Covid restrictions.
Following a Met investigation which ended in May 2022, 83 people were given 126 fines.
Johnson became the first prime minister to be found guilty in office after attending a Downing Street birthday party in June 2020 that was found to have breached coronavirus rules.
In April 2022, Johnson, his wife Carrie and then-chancellor Rishi Sunak paid a fee to attend the party.
The Met said on Tuesday it was “reviewing” information it received from the Cabinet Office on May 19 which “relates to breaches of public health regulations between June 2020 and May 2021 at Downing Street”.
The Times quoted a Thames Valley Police spokesman as saying: “On Thursday we received a report of breaches of health and safety regulations between June 2020 and May 2021 in Chequers, Buckinghamshire. We are currently investigating these details.”
The Liberal Democrats on Tuesday called on Johnson to resign as the Conservative MP for Uxbridge.
“The fact that it’s one law for them and one law for all of us, it still causes injustice to millions of people,” said Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper. “Johnson needs to do one good thing and consider his role as an MP.”