- The Metropolitan Police said it is not investigating Boris Johnson over a party held at 10 Downing Street in May 2020.
- Met Police said it does not typically investigate "breaches of Coronavirus Regulations when they are reported long after they are said to have taken place."
- Johnson apologized for his involvement in the event after details from the party came to light.
The Metropolitan Police Service said it will not be investigating Boris Johnson for his involvement in a garden party held at 10 Downing Street during COVID-19 lockdown in May 2020.
"The Metropolitan Police Service is aware of widespread reporting relating to alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street and Department for Education on various dates and has received correspondence in relation to this reporting," the police department said in a statement to Insider.
It continued: "In line with the Met's policy, officers do not normally investigate breaches of Coronavirus Regulations when they are reported long after they are said to have taken place. However, if significant evidence suggesting a breach of the regulations becomes available, officers may review and consider it."
The Metropolitan Police Service said The Cabinet Office is "conducting an inquiry" into said gathering to see whether it was a criminal offense before passing it off to the police for a full investigation.
Reports of a party that occurred at the building came to light this month, leading Johnson to apologize for his role in the May 2020 event.
He said he "must take responsibility" for attending the party, to which more than 100 staffers were invited and told to bring their own booze, Insider previously reported.
"I want to apologize," he said. "I know that millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months. I know the anguish that they have been through — unable to mourn their relatives, unable to live their lives as they want or to do the things they love."
"And I know the rage they feel with me, and with the government I lead, when they think that in Downing Street itself, the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules," he added.