Boris Johnson referred to police over allegedly hosting friends at Chequers in lockdown

Boris Johnson has been referred to constabulary by the Cabinet Office implicit claims helium broke lockdown rules by hosting household and friends astatine Chequers during the pandemic.

The visits to the erstwhile premier minister’s grace-and-favour residence were recovered successful his authoritative diary by his government-funded lawyers arsenic they were preparing for the nationalist enquiry into the Covid pandemic.

They raised the contented with elder officials successful the Cabinet Office, who past referred the substance to constabulary arsenic they were obliged to bash nether the ministerial code, and besides the privileges committee, which is investigating whether Johnson lied to the Commons implicit Partygate.

The erstwhile premier minister, who discontinue successful July past twelvemonth aft a bid of scandals including Partygate, has written to the Cabinet Office denying breaking strict lockdown rules.

The Metropolitan constabulary and Thames Valley constabulary person confirmed they are considering the evidence.

A spokesperson for the erstwhile premier curate said: “Some abbreviated entries successful Mr Johnson’s authoritative diary were queried by the Cabinet Office during mentation for the Covid inquiry.

“Following an introspection of the entries, Mr Johnson’s lawyers wrote to the Cabinet Office and privileges committee explaining that the events were lawful and were not breaches of immoderate Covid regulations.”

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “Information came to airy during the process of preparing grounds for submission to the Covid inquiry. It was identified arsenic portion of the mean disclosure reappraisal of perchance applicable documents being undertaken by the ineligible squad for enquiry witnesses.

“In enactment with obligations successful the civilian work code, this worldly has been passed to the applicable authorities and it is present a substance for them.”

The development, revealed by The Times, volition enactment further unit connected Johnson, who remains an MP and is present warring for his governmental career.

The privileges committee is owed to study backmost adjacent period and if it recommends suspending Johnson for much than 10 days, helium could look a byelection.

More details soon …