Johnson did not meddle in probe, says minister

LONDON－Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not intervened in an internal investigation into breaches of COVID-19 rules at his Downing Street office and residence, Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Sunday.

The opposition Labour Party has called on Johnson to explain why he met Sue Gray, a senior civil servant, to discuss the publication of her final report into parties held at Johnson's Downing Street office during COVID-19 lockdowns, which is expected this week.

"The Prime Minister has never intervened in the investigation that Sue Gray conducted," Zahawi told Sky News, adding that he could not say who had called the meeting.

Sky News reported on Friday that Johnson and Gray discussed where Gray believed the police were with their separate inquiry, and the BBC reported on Saturday that the pair met to discuss the publication of photos in her final report.

Johnson has faced widespread calls from opposition politicians and some in his own party to resign after it emerged that he and officials had broken stringent lockdown laws enacted by his government.

A spokesperson for Johnson's Number 10 office said on Saturday the prime minister had been clear throughout that Gray's report should be completely independent, adding that the decision on what and when to publish rests entirely with Gray.

The spokesperson did not respond to a call by Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner for Johnson to explain the meeting. A Cabinet Office source said on Thursday that Gray's report would be published soon.

"The Sue Gray report must be published in full and with all accompanying evidence," Rayner said on Saturday. Johnson has said that once the report is published he will respond in parliament.

In interim conclusions published in January, Gray said alcohol-fueled events had taken place at Johnson's offices and residence, and there had been "serious failures of leadership".

British police ended their investigation on Thursday. They said they issued a total of 126 fixed-penalty notices to 83 people for gatherings that took place on eight dates between May 2020 and April last year.

The COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group called the police fines a "terrible insult" to all who lost loved ones during the pandemic.

"The nearly half a million pounds this investigation has cost could have been spent on support services for the bereaved," said Safiah Ngah, who lost her father to the virus in February last year.

Agencies Via Xinhua