Concerns over widening net in UK's 'Partygate' scandal

The likelihood that more top officials in the UK's civil service will be implicated in illegal lockdown gatherings in civil servant Sue Gray's "Partygate" report is said to be causing concern within the government.

The report, which is expected to be published in full next month, would "cast some civil servants in a bad light" and "there may be evidence that some knowingly broke rules when organizing gatherings, leading to the potential for disciplinary action", a senior source was quoted by The Guardian as saying.

During the pandemic, some rules and general guidance were legally enforceable, either through fines or prosecution.

Separately from Gray's investigation, a police probe into parties in Westminster has led to 20 fines issued.

Helen MacNamara, former deputy cabinet secretary and former ethics chief, was one of the first government staff members to be handed fixed-penalty notices of 50 pounds ($65) by police last week for her involvement in lawbreaking parties while the rest of the country was locked down.

Before leaving government last year, one of MacNamara's tasks in her ethics role was leading a probe into bullying allegations against Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Parties held at Downing Street in 2020 and 2021 have enraged the British public who were asked to follow coronavirus restrictions for many months over the past two years to curb the spread of COVID-19. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's premiership has been precarious following the revelation of these illicit gatherings, with calls from opposition parties and even members of his own Conservative Party asking him to resign.

Last week, British media reported that Johnson faced a renewed threat to his position over the scandal after the fines were issued.

However, ITV News reported that police will not interview Johnson as part of their investigations. The force is investigating 12 events, including as many as six that Johnson is said to have attended.

The government has been under increasing pressure to name those fined since it emerged that one party took place on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral in April last year. The next day, the queen sat alone at the funeral of her husband due to COVID-19 restrictions. Number 10 later apologized to Buckingham Palace when reports of the party surfaced.

With local elections to be held next month, Conservative member of parliament Steve Brine said on Sunday that the government should "just be honest" and not refuse to name those handed fixed penalty notices by police.

"The best thing is just transparency, open the curtains," the former minister told the BBC. "They should just be honest about who's been tipped off with what and put it all out there and say, 'You know what, we got this wrong', or 'This person's got this fine', because these guys in the press, they won't focus on the issues of the local election, they'll scratch around and try and dig all this stuff up again. Just be honest, and put it all out there－that would be my advice."

Xinhua contributed to this story.