Boris Johnson has made many public statements about parties in government previously, as details of gatherings emerged over the course of several months late last year and early this.

Here's a selection of what he had said about them as of late January.

Image source, EPA

A few Conservative MPs have (anonymously) been giving us their reaction to this afternoon's news.

One Welsh MP tells the BBC: "Support for Ukraine has been outstanding - to defenestrate the PM at this moment would be unbelievable folly."

Asked if the PM could survive being fined by the police, a senior backbencher says: “For any other politician, this would not be survivable.

"Rishi may be done for, he [the PM] will try to brazen it out, but this is a big thing, people knew others would be fined, but him being fined himself, well looking at the WhatsApp groups I think people are still trying to process this.”

An MP from the 2019 intake said they were going to have "a long think" about whether Johnson should step down.

"There is now another cabinet minister [Sunak] involved, which leaves Liz Truss [the foreign secretary] as the alternative. We have got to have the best person running the country, and if he does go what does that mean?"

Image source, Reuters

Throughout the investigation, the police have said they would not be naming the individuals issued fines.

However, No 10 said they would make it public if either the prime minister or senior civil servant Simon Case were among the recipients of fines.

We know Boris Johnson has been fined but, according to a Cabinet Office source, Case, the cabinet secretary, has not - so far.

Case was initially put in charge of the internal inquiry into Covid rule-breaking, but stepped back after it emerged one of the parties under investigation took place in his office.

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From March 2020 when the pandemic began, a mixture of legally enforceable rules and guidance restricted people's ability to gather together across the UK.

In England, these rules were set by the government in Westminster - led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

We don't yet know which parties under investigation by the police the pair of politicians will be fined for attending.

But Johnson has already apologised to MPs for attending a drinks party in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020, saying he spent 25 minutes thanking staff, before returning to his office.

This was during the first lockdown when people could not leave their homes, external without a reasonable excuse - which included work, if you could not work from home.

Image source, Guardian / Eyevine

The prime minister and Sunak are also thought to have attended a surprise birthday celebration for the prime minister in the Cabinet Room of Downing Street on 19 June 2020, with ITV reporting that up to 30 people attended, ate cake and sang Happy Birthday.

At the time, gatherings of more than two people indoors were banned by law, unless it was "reasonably necessary" for work purposes.

Reports suggested that on 13 November 2020 the prime minister attended a gathering at Downing Street to mark the departure of a special adviser.

A second national lockdown was in force at the time and and indoor gatherings with other households were not allowed (unless for work).

Johnson is also reported to have attended a gathering on 14 January 2021, when England had entered its third nationwide lockdown. A stay-at-home order was in place, which allowed some people to travel to work but which banned social meetings.

Police could issue fines starting at £200 for breaches.

Conservative MP Roger Gale was one of those Conservative MPs who earlier in the year called on the PM to resign.

However, he now tells the PA news agency this is not the time to "unseat" Boris Johnson.

"My position remains that the fact that the prime minister has effectively misled the House of Commons is a very serious issue indeed.

But he adds: "We are in the middle of an international crisis and I am not prepared to give Vladimir Putin the comfort of thinking that we are about to unseat the prime minister of the United Kingdom and destabilise the coalition against Putin.

"So any reaction to this is going to have to wait until we have dealt with the main crisis, which is Ukraine and the Donbas."

Image source, PA Media

Other UK opposition leaders have given their response to the fines.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey says: "This is a government in crisis neglecting a country in crisis.

"Parliament must be recalled for a vote of no confidence in the prime minister."

And Ian Blackford, leader of the SNP in Westminster, says: "Boris Johnson misled parliament, lied to the public and broke the law.

"He must resign or be removed from office. The prime minister’s position is completely untenable. There simply cannot be one rule for the Tories and another for the rest of us."

Dominic Casciani
Legal Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak will be issued fines - officially known as fixed penalty notices.

Fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for breaching Covid regulations do not lead to a criminal record - they're a low-level sanction, the equivalent of a minor speeding offence - to divert people from the courts.

There's no suggestion that Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak do not intend to pay their FPN.

But if someone doesn't pay, then the situation becomes more serious and the notice will be referred to the courts.

In the worst case scenario, a magistrate could issue a warrant for someone to be arrested and hauled before them for non-payment.

Challenging an FPN is complicated and has been much criticised as opaque and potentially unfair by expert lawyers.

Sometimes an individual police force may reverse a decision after direct lobbying.

The alternative is to argue it out in court. But that is expensive - and losing leads to a criminal conviction as it's a criminal court ruling.

And that's why most people faced with an FPN suck it up - and cough up within the 28 day deadline.

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Boris Johnson's wife Carrie will also receive a fine for Covid rule-breaking.

A spokesperson says: “In the interests of transparency, Mrs Johnson can confirm she has been notified that she will receive a Fixed Penalty Notice.

"She has not yet received any further details about the nature of the FPN.”

Image source, Getty Images

The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group says that it is unbelievably painful that while families couldn't comfort each other at funerals, the prime minister and chancellor broke the rules.

Matt Fowler, co-founder of the group, says: "There you have it - it's now indisputable that whilst bereaved families were unable to be at their loved ones' sides in their last moments, or stood at their funerals alone, the people responsible for protecting us in Downing St were partying and rule-breaking en masse.

"It's a reality that is unbelievably painful for bereaved families like mine to face as we try and move forward with our lives."

In a tweet, the group says Johnson told them in person: "We did everything we could to save your loved ones."

It now says those were "hollow words in the same garden rules were broken".

Image source, PA

Responding to the news, Labour leader Keir Starmer said: "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public.

“They must both resign.

"The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better."

Image source, Getty Images

Reports of parties at Downing Street and elsewhere in Whitehall prompted public outrage and the announcement of an inquiry in December 2021 - led by civil servant Sue Gray.

She published her initial findings at the end of January, which revealed that 12 of the gatherings on eight separate dates were being investigated by the Metropolitan Police. It had initially declined to look into the allegations.

Boris Johnson was known to have attended at least three of the gatherings: one in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020, a gathering for his birthday in the Cabinet Room and a gathering marking the departure of a special adviser on 13 November 2020.

Rishi Sunak was reported to have attended the birthday party at the Cabinet Room.

Image source, EPA

Good afternoon, We've just heard that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak will be fined by the police for attending parties during lockdown.

It comes as part of the Metropolitan Police's investigation into 12 gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “We have no further details, but we will update you again when we do.”

Earlier today the police confirmed they have so far sent more than 50 fines during their ongoing inquiry.

We'll be bringing you all the latest news and reaction as it happens here. Stick with us.