Twenty fixed penalty notices will be issued for breaches of Covid-19 rules following allegations of lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street.

The Metropolitan Police said 20 fixed penalty notices will be referred to the ACRO Criminal Records Office, which will then be responsible for issuing the fines.

It added more referrals may be made in the future.

Scotland Yard issue statement as 20 fixed penalty notices issues over Downing Street parties

In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “The investigation into allegations of breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street has now progressed to the point where the first referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPN) will be made to ACRO Criminal Records Office.

“We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of Covid-19 regulations. The ACRO Criminal Records Office will then be responsible for issuing the FPNs to the individual following the referrals from the MPS.

“We are making every effort to progress this investigation at speed and have completed a number of assessments. However due to the significant amount of investigative material that remains to be assessed, further referrals may be made to ACRO if the evidential threshold is made.”

The force said it will not confirm the number of referrals made from each individual event it is investigating as providing this breakdown at this point could lead to the individuals involved being identified.