> Scotland Yard has announced it will not issue any more Partygate fines before the May 5 elections.
> The Metropolitan Police said it would continue to investigate Covid law breaches during the campaign period.
> But senior officers are believed to be concerned that providing any more updates on their probe could sway voters.
> Scotland Yard has already issued 50 fines as a result of their investigation into Covid law-breaking at the heart of the Government during the pandemic.
> A Met Police spokesman said: “Whilst the investigation will continue during the pre-election period due to the restrictions around communicating before the May local elections, we will not provide further updates until after 5 May.”
> Ministers are advised not to announce long-term initiatives or use public money “for party political purposes” in the three weeks before polls open.
> But the specific restrictions on communications, known as purdah, do not usually apply to the police in the run-up to local elections.
> Boris Johnson was accused of breaking the rules on the first day of purdah last week when he announced his Rwanda asylum plan.
> Mr Johnson gave the controversial speech despite it being the first day of purdah ahead of the local elections.
> Ministers are advised not to announce long-term initiatives or use public money “for party political purposes” in the three weeks before polls open at 7am on Thursday 5 May.
It could ‘sway voters’ into what?! I certainly hope it isn’t for not voting for law breaking candidates!
lol, gets to the local elections: *’Oh, oops our bad. No, unfortunately now that we’re X days past the event none of this evidence is permissible and all fines are dropped. Tally-ho’*
Great all those fifty quids they won’t have to claim back – they can spend more time campaigning…
So voters shouldn’t be swayed by a party leadership breaking the law??
So what they are saying is there are more fines to come and that they will reflect badly on the Tories if they issue them. Glad we cleared that up.
You’re kind of damned if you do, damned if you don’t in these cases. Whatever you decide to do you’ll be accused by someone by either artificially trying to make their party “look bad” or by the opposition of trying to make the government look “unrealistically good”.
My preference would be that the police simply ignore the elections and conduct business as normal. That way you can respond to any criticism where ever it may come by saying “we were doing our job as usual”.
So voters shouldn’t know if they are voting for someone who broke the law… seems totally legit.
This is a joke. Release the fucking Sue Gray Report now then
I guess MPs can freely commit crimes in the 3 weeks leading up to elections as well then
A political decision no matter how you choose to spin it. If they had done their jobs as usual and issued their fines as they ordinarily would, it would be up to the electorate to decide whether that should sway their voting habits. It should not be the responsibility of the Met to protect the sitting PM and government but it’s becoming increasingly clear that’s the only thing they’re good at.
How long does it take to issue a fixed penalty notice? The Met have spent months “investigating” whilst the evidence is easily accessible. I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist but it feels like they’re being deliberately slow in the hope the public will forget about it. The government has been constantly trying to prevent any decisions being made and constantly kicking the can down the road
Jesus thats pathetic. Form a wall and protect the tories. And people wonder why trust in the police is plummeting.
Literally admitting they are in the tories pocket, I didnt expect them to just come out and say it! Wow.
Anyone who looks back at the last twelve years of Tory governance, the austerity, the corruption, the the broken promises, the cuts to public services, the rise in the need for food banks, the shit shows of Brexit and Covid, and still thinks “I’ll have more of the same” isn’t going to change their mind if their candidates receive a fine.
It would be like complaining to the waiter about their being a fly in their bowl of shit.
Why are the Police getting involved with Politics. Just do your job, if someone loses votes because they broke the law then perhaps they shouldn’t have broken the law.
Does anyone else feel like more & more obstacles are being thrown into the resolution of Partygate that they hope we will lose patience?
This headline is misleading
They can (and may) issue fines in the next two weeks. But due to it being within two weeks of the election they won’t publicly update if they do.
So. Much for the police doing there Job and not being influenced by politicians or political matters christ this country is a joke
Least its not the Russians fucking with an election this time, just the good old bois in blu.
>But senior officers are believed to be concerned that providing any more updates on their probe could sway voters.
IT’S SUPPOSED TO, YOU MORONS
Heaven forbid the crimes of the prime minister affecting elections oh nonono.
Disgusting the police system as a whole needs a good culling
This is irrefutable evidence the Met police are in the pocket of Tory politicians. If they were actually non-political the elections would have zero influence on their investigations and fines. If it looks like a pig and smells like a pig…
How about I rob a bank and they can come arrest me when I’m 86?
By not doing their job, the police *are* effectively interfering in the election. It doesn’t matter if the crime happened yesterday or 5 years ago – it should be investigated, regardless of when the vote is.
So next time I’m rushing to a job interview and get a speeding ticket, it’s good to know this precedent has been set.
This is laughable. How corrupt can you be? They are protecting those who are breaking the law. Am I in a really boring Black Mirror episode?
Still bending over backwards for the Tories. It’s like a competition between them, which organisation is the most corrupt and shameless.
This is a criminal action and investigation. Why is the met police not issuing and more Partygate fines. This is a public service not a political institution.
The public have lost faith in LAW & ORDER system.
In this thread: People who don’t understand Purdah. The Met has their faults but they can’t really do something that could arguably impact on elections. This the most they can indicate that further fines are coming, without falling foul of it.
30 comments
> Scotland Yard has announced it will not issue any more Partygate fines before the May 5 elections.
> The Metropolitan Police said it would continue to investigate Covid law breaches during the campaign period.
> But senior officers are believed to be concerned that providing any more updates on their probe could sway voters.
> Scotland Yard has already issued 50 fines as a result of their investigation into Covid law-breaking at the heart of the Government during the pandemic.
> A Met Police spokesman said: “Whilst the investigation will continue during the pre-election period due to the restrictions around communicating before the May local elections, we will not provide further updates until after 5 May.”
> Ministers are advised not to announce long-term initiatives or use public money “for party political purposes” in the three weeks before polls open.
> But the specific restrictions on communications, known as purdah, do not usually apply to the police in the run-up to local elections.
> Boris Johnson was accused of breaking the rules on the first day of purdah last week when he announced his Rwanda asylum plan.
> Mr Johnson gave the controversial speech despite it being the first day of purdah ahead of the local elections.
> Ministers are advised not to announce long-term initiatives or use public money “for party political purposes” in the three weeks before polls open at 7am on Thursday 5 May.
It could ‘sway voters’ into what?! I certainly hope it isn’t for not voting for law breaking candidates!
lol, gets to the local elections: *’Oh, oops our bad. No, unfortunately now that we’re X days past the event none of this evidence is permissible and all fines are dropped. Tally-ho’*
Great all those fifty quids they won’t have to claim back – they can spend more time campaigning…
So voters shouldn’t be swayed by a party leadership breaking the law??
So what they are saying is there are more fines to come and that they will reflect badly on the Tories if they issue them. Glad we cleared that up.
You’re kind of damned if you do, damned if you don’t in these cases. Whatever you decide to do you’ll be accused by someone by either artificially trying to make their party “look bad” or by the opposition of trying to make the government look “unrealistically good”.
My preference would be that the police simply ignore the elections and conduct business as normal. That way you can respond to any criticism where ever it may come by saying “we were doing our job as usual”.
So voters shouldn’t know if they are voting for someone who broke the law… seems totally legit.
This is a joke. Release the fucking Sue Gray Report now then
I guess MPs can freely commit crimes in the 3 weeks leading up to elections as well then
A political decision no matter how you choose to spin it. If they had done their jobs as usual and issued their fines as they ordinarily would, it would be up to the electorate to decide whether that should sway their voting habits. It should not be the responsibility of the Met to protect the sitting PM and government but it’s becoming increasingly clear that’s the only thing they’re good at.
How long does it take to issue a fixed penalty notice? The Met have spent months “investigating” whilst the evidence is easily accessible. I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist but it feels like they’re being deliberately slow in the hope the public will forget about it. The government has been constantly trying to prevent any decisions being made and constantly kicking the can down the road
Jesus thats pathetic. Form a wall and protect the tories. And people wonder why trust in the police is plummeting.
Literally admitting they are in the tories pocket, I didnt expect them to just come out and say it! Wow.
Anyone who looks back at the last twelve years of Tory governance, the austerity, the corruption, the the broken promises, the cuts to public services, the rise in the need for food banks, the shit shows of Brexit and Covid, and still thinks “I’ll have more of the same” isn’t going to change their mind if their candidates receive a fine.
It would be like complaining to the waiter about their being a fly in their bowl of shit.
Why are the Police getting involved with Politics. Just do your job, if someone loses votes because they broke the law then perhaps they shouldn’t have broken the law.
Does anyone else feel like more & more obstacles are being thrown into the resolution of Partygate that they hope we will lose patience?
This headline is misleading
They can (and may) issue fines in the next two weeks. But due to it being within two weeks of the election they won’t publicly update if they do.
So. Much for the police doing there Job and not being influenced by politicians or political matters christ this country is a joke
Least its not the Russians fucking with an election this time, just the good old bois in blu.
>But senior officers are believed to be concerned that providing any more updates on their probe could sway voters.
IT’S SUPPOSED TO, YOU MORONS
Heaven forbid the crimes of the prime minister affecting elections oh nonono.
Disgusting the police system as a whole needs a good culling
This is irrefutable evidence the Met police are in the pocket of Tory politicians. If they were actually non-political the elections would have zero influence on their investigations and fines. If it looks like a pig and smells like a pig…
How about I rob a bank and they can come arrest me when I’m 86?
By not doing their job, the police *are* effectively interfering in the election. It doesn’t matter if the crime happened yesterday or 5 years ago – it should be investigated, regardless of when the vote is.
So next time I’m rushing to a job interview and get a speeding ticket, it’s good to know this precedent has been set.
This is laughable. How corrupt can you be? They are protecting those who are breaking the law. Am I in a really boring Black Mirror episode?
Still bending over backwards for the Tories. It’s like a competition between them, which organisation is the most corrupt and shameless.
This is a criminal action and investigation. Why is the met police not issuing and more Partygate fines. This is a public service not a political institution.
The public have lost faith in LAW & ORDER system.
In this thread: People who don’t understand Purdah. The Met has their faults but they can’t really do something that could arguably impact on elections. This the most they can indicate that further fines are coming, without falling foul of it.