Downing Street has refused to say whether the prime minister will pay for his own legal advice as part of the police investigation into partygate.
Both No10 and the Government Legal Department have declined to answer questions from HuffPost UK on whether Boris Johnson will use publicly funded legal services.
It comes as the Metropolitan Police Service is investigating 12 alleged Covid-rule breaking gatherings held in Downing Street and Whitehall during the pandemic.
Among them are three parties Johnson is understood to have attended as well as a separate bash held in his Downing Street flat.
On May 20 an infamous “bring your own booze” party was held which the PM has admitted to attending, saying he believed it was a “work event”. There was a birthday party for the prime minister on June 19 and a leaving party marking the departure of a special adviser in the run-up to Christmas.
Separately, the Met is investigating a party allegedly held in the PM’s flat to celebrate Dominic Cummings’ resignation during which Abba’s the “Winner Takes It All” was played. A spokesman for the PM’s wife previously said the allegations were “totally untrue”.
In a statement, Scotland Yard revealed it had received more than 300 images and 500 pages of information on the inquiry.
Police said they need to contact “each individual” who attended the events - which means both the PM and his wife Carrie could face interviews.
Anyone found to have breached Covid rules without a reasonable excuse could be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Asked this week if No10 would reveal if Johnson was given a fixed-penalty notice, his official spokesman said: “Hypothetically, yes.”
However, the government has remained tight-lipped about whether the PM would pay for his own legal advice.
It comes after the leader of the Liberal Democrats wrote to the government’s legal department saying Johnson must not receive taxpayer-funded advice or representation over the alleged breaches of Covid-19 restrictions.
Sir Ed Davey wrote to Treasury solicitor Susanna McGibbon, saying it would be “completely unacceptable” for the public to bear the cost of the PM defending himself.
“Johnson should fork out for any legal advice about law-breaking parties from his own pocket, not pick the taxpayers’ pockets for his defence.”
- Sir Ed Davey
Top civil servant Sue Gray blamed “failures of leadership and judgment” in No10 and the Cabinet Office for the partygate scandal.
She said staff in No10 had not met the “high standards expected of the entire British population” as her report revealed she had investigated 16 alleged parties.
Davey said: “People are rightly furious that Boris Johnson broke the very rules he asked the rest of us to follow.
“Making taxpayers pay for his legal costs would be rubbing salt in the wound. Johnson should fork out for any legal advice about law-breaking parties from his own pocket, not pick the taxpayers’ pockets for his defence.”
In his letter, Davey said it appeared to be “inevitable” that the prime minister will be interviewed by the police in the course of their investigation.
Both Downing Street and the Government Legal Department were contacted for comment.