Boris Johnson has been contacted by the Metropolitan Police as part of the probe into lockdown-busting parties held in Downing Street and across Whitehall.

A questionnaire on the partygate scandal has been sent to the prime minister from Scotland Yard. It is understood to have been received late on Friday evening.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: “We can confirm the prime minister has received a questionnaire from the Metropolitan Police. He will respond as required.”

Earlier in the week, Scotland Yard announced its officers were to begin contacting more than 50 people believed to have been involved in the 12 events under its investigation – which has been named Operation Hillman.

The Met Police said its officers would start getting in touch with the relevant people by the end of the week as they progressed their investigation “at pace”. Those contacted are being asked to initially fill out a questionnaire.

The announcement comes just days after a fresh photo emerged of Mr Johnson at a Christmas quiz in Number 10.

The Metropolitan Police is now rethinking its assessment of that event after the publication of the image of the prime minister next to an opened bottle of alcohol, crisps, a person wearing tinsel and another wearing a Santa hat.

Partygate: Rishi Sunak says Boris Johnson has his ‘total support’ amid Met probe into lockdown-busting parties

Boris Johnson seeks to leave domestic strife at home on whistle-stop diplomacy mission amid Ukraine-Russia tensions

Boris Johnson says next few days ‘most dangerous’ in Ukraine crisis as he calls on Putin to pull troops

At the time of the event, on 15 December 2020, London was under Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions.

This banned any social mixing indoors between people from different households.

Scotland Yard said: “The Metropolitan Police service previously assessed this event and determined that on the basis of the evidence available at that time, it did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation.

“That assessment is now being reviewed.”

Although the 15 December event was previously not among the allegations of COVID rule-breaking in Number 10 being investigated by the Met Police, it has formed part of the “partygate” inquiry by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

She has yet to publish her full findings due to the ongoing Met Police inquiry into 12 other alleged lockdown-busting gatherings in Downing Street, but her initial report said that parties at Number 10 represented a “serious failure” and were “difficult to justify”.

Ms Gray has handed more than 300 images and more than 500 pages of information to Scotland Yard.

Related posts:

UK and US taskforce to thrash out resumption of transatlantic travel Football fans split on whether taking a knee helps tackle racism – survey Harry Dunn’s mother calls on Joe Biden to ‘put the wrong right’ and meet with her while he’s in UK Delta variant now makes up 91% of new UK infections – as cases rise ‘rapidly’ UEFA opposed plans for Three Lions to be performed before Euros final, says Frank Skinner Kate watches women’s final at Wimbledon after period of self-isolation ‘The whole country is behind you. So, bring it home’: Prince William leads figures wishing team good luck for final Lateral flow tests set to replace PCRs for returning travellers by half-term Police launch appeal as two women sought after Rolex watch theft in Dorset – public urged to ‘remain vigilant’ Police alerted to ‘suspicious activity’ on Taliban supporter’s farm near nuclear navy base US and allies will ‘respond decisively’ if Russia invades Ukraine, Biden tells Putin in phone call Met Police investigating death threats against Starmer following PM’s Savile ‘slur’