The public will now be told if Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, is handed a fine for breaking lockdown rules, Downing Street has said.
On Tuesday the Metropolitan Police announced it was set to issue twenty fixed penalty notices (FPN) in the partygate scandal.
No.10 said this morning if Boris Johnson is among those to receive a fine for attending parties in Downing Street it will let voters know.
But the prime minister’s spokesperson said the names of any others issued with an FPN would not be be revealed.
In a quick u-turn, No.10 said this afternoon that if Case, the county’s most senior civil servant, was fined then this would also be made public.
The spokesperson said they would clarify the situation regarding Case, given his “unique position”.
Case was initially tasked by Johnson with investigating alleged parties, but had to recuse himself after it was revealed a Christmas event took place in his own office.
The job of conducting an internal inquiry was handed to Sue Gray, who presented her initial and limited findings in January. A fuller report is expected once the Met’s inquiry concludes.
The fines for breaking lockdown rules are expected to be in the range of £100.
Scotland Yard is investigating 12 parties in Downing Street and Whitehall, including gatherings attended by the PM.
The Met has said it will not disclose which parties the fines relate to, which it said was in line with College of Policing guidance on not revealing the identities of people dealt with out-of-court.
While Downing Street has said it will now reveal if Johnson and Case are fined, it remains No.10 position that names of other people at the centre of government who receive fines can remain secret.
No.10 has also refused to say whether Johnson would resign as PM if he is fined for breaking his own Covid laws.