Met takes no action over Tory lockdown event attended by Shaun Bailey, clears the way for him to become a peer in Johnson’s “Lavender List”.
Nothing to see here – Owl
www.theguardian.com (Extract)
The Metropolitan police took no action over an apparent Christmas party at Conservative headquarters in London during lockdown in 2020 attended by Shaun Bailey, then the party’s candidate for London mayor, it has emerged.
In a statement, the force said that despite a much-published photograph showing Bailey amid a crowd of seeming revellers, some holding drinks and standing next to a buffet, there was not enough evidence to “disprove the version of events provided by attendees”.
The decision not to take action against Bailey and the two dozen or so party staffers and aides seen packed into a room at Matthew Parker Street in central London, next to a table laden with platters of food, clears the path for the former mayoral candidate to become a peer.
East Devon Watch 
Unless there is a dispute over when this photograph is taken, then what does this saga actually say:
a. Do as we say, not do as we do. Rules are for the little people, not the rule makers (or friends or colleagues or groupies of those rule makers). It’s not the law that matters, but how connected you are.
b. The police are apparently saying that the attendees have a consistent story about how this event never happened. If true, this would be a Conspiracy to Pervert the Course of Justice, and any statements might be perjury. Yet again, Q: How do you know when a Tory politician is lying? A: Their lips are moving.
c. The police could have issued fixed penalty fines as in other cases, the risk being that they appeal and it goes to trial. Fair enough – a judge or a jury can weigh up the evidence and this group of entitled idiots can have their actions properly aired in public. Justice needs to be seen to be done, and IMO refusing to prosecute for fear of failing to win the case is a cowardly action by the police (and likely the CPS) who give the appearance of giving favourable treatment when IMO it is in the Public Interest for their guilt to be tested by fines and (if they appeal) a court case. It is bad enough when the Tory Party has a “Do as we say, not do as we do” attitude – when the Police aid and abet such an attitude, things are 100x worse.
See also police having to be forced to investigate Boris and then doing a half-arsed job when they were forced to.
See also articles and comments elsewhere on this blog about similar goings on with Devon & Cornwall police apparently turning a blind eye to several formal allegations made against local Tories.
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There really did seem an element of collusion by the Met with the government, in that their only real intervention was so late in the day and so suspiciously timed. The only purpose and effect being to undermine the Sue Gray enquiry and get Pinocchio and others off the hook. Of course there will be no enquiry into that. How can we have faith in our police? No wonder so many forces are in special measures.
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