Earlier this month, Metropolitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick confirmed they would be investigating allegations of coronavirus rule breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall earlier this month.

Today, the highly redacted version of civil servant Sue Gray’s report was released prompting an announcement from Boris Johnson in the House of Commons this afternoon.

In the wake of the Prime Minister's statement and as the matter continues to be debabted, the Metropolitan Police said officers were reviewing “at pace” more than 300 images and 500 pages of information handed over from the Cabinet Office.

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In a statement, the Met said: “Having received the documentation from the Cabinet Office on Friday 28 January, we are now reviewing it at pace to confirm which individuals will need to be contacted for their account. This prioritisation will include reviewing all the material from the Cabinet Office, which includes more than 300 images and over 500 pages of information.

“If following an investigation officers believe it is appropriate, because the Covid regulations have been breached without a reasonable excuse, a fixed penalty notice would normally be issued. Once the penalty is paid, the matter is considered closed. Alternatively, individuals may decide to dispute the notice. In these circumstances officers will consider whether to pursue the matter in a magistrates’ court.

“We do understand that the Met’s action in assessing and responding to these allegations will divide opinion. However police officers must, based on the information available to them, make carefully considered, difficult decisions, even when to do so is contentious.

“We understand the interest in and impact of this case, and will be progressing the investigation at pace. We are committed to completing our investigations proportionately, fairly and impartially.”