Police will delay updates on Downing Street party probe

LONDON (Reuters) – Police will withhold any updates on their probe into alleged breaches of COVID-19 lockdown rules at gatherings and parties in Downing Street until after next month’s local elections, the Metropolitan Police said on Thursday.

Large parts of Britain are due to vote in elections for local and regional authority positions on May 5 in what will be interpreted as a measure of the damage caused to Johnson’s Conservative leadership by the so-called ‘partygate’ scandal.

“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,” a spokesperson for the force said in an e-mailed statement.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised to lawmakers on Tuesday after he receiving a fine for attending a gathering on his birthday during the pandemic. He could yet receive further fines for other gatherings.

(Reporting by Muvija M; editing by William James)