[ad_1]
Cressida Dick, Britain’s top police officer, has been accused by MPs of leading a “burning” and “farce” intervention at the last minute. The Dangers of Downing Street ask questions about the future of Boris Johnson.
The idea of Dick setting up a Metropolitan Police Investigation In the comments of the criminal parties at Whitehall led to confusion when – and in what form – a separate “partygate” inquiry by the state’s official Sue Gray will be published.
The Met insisted on a Gray report he should only say “less” to cases that need to be investigated, making a legal suspension and giving Johnson a place to rest from his political problems.
On Friday, lawmakers also said Gray was determined to report the matter in the coming days – instead of delaying forever – despite being questioned by police.
Johnson’s supporters believe the political heat of the issue is coming to an end; next week the Prime Minister will try to get back on track with the announcement of the principles of “promotion” and removal of Brexit.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The alliance between the leadership of the Met and No. 10 will undermine our politics for generations and it seems to be happening in front of us.”
Ian Blackford, SNP leader at Westminster, said: “This seems like a draw and the only person who benefits is Boris Johnson.”
Some Conservative lawmakers were also angry that Dick’s intervention could mean that the party ‘s harassment continued for several weeks, with police investigating themselves.
“I thought it was this house that made the government accountable, not the Metropolitan police,” Sir Christopher Chope, chief of Tory, told the House of Commons.
Sir Roger Gale, Johnson’s Tory opponent, called the case a “farce”, while a former prime minister said: “Some say this removes Johnson but I really think differently; it only removes the pain for a long time.
Met said it wants to avoid “any errors in our search”. A source close to the investigation said the group was only looking at violations of Covid’s laws, not serious offenses.
On Friday evening, the group announced that it had received “requests from the Prime Minister’s Office to support their investigation” and that it wanted to carry out its duties “expeditiously, fairly and efficiently”.
Catherine Roper, chief of the Met Crime Prevention Agency, said: “We have not delayed the report and the timing of its release by the Cabinet Office investigative team.”
It stated that the offenses being investigated, if confirmed, often lead to information of a fixed penalty; people accused of violating Covid laws will be summoned to report their actions and if they feel they have an “excuse”.
“If the recipient disputes the original information then the case will be referred back to the Met, where the officers will determine whether to take the matter to a magistrate’s court.”
Dal Babu, a former Metropolitan police chief who previously worked as a security guard on Downing Street, said the Met appears to be acting “a very careful approach”.
But some lawyers say the publication of Gray’s report could hamper police investigations because it could distort the suspicion of suspects and witnesses and allow them to change their mind before being questioned by police.
David Corker, a co-founder of law firm Corker Binning, said: “I think what the police are doing is reasonable because publishing would interfere with police investigations.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May told her Maidenhead Advertiser newspaper: “Like many, I was outraged when I heard the news of the 10th incumbent, responsible for enforcing coronavirus laws, not following through.”
Additional reports by Jim Pickard
[ad_2]
Source link
