Boris Johnson has refused to say whether he will resign if he is fined for breaching lockdown restrictions by police investigating a string of events in Downing Street.
The British prime minister is expected to be among the more than 50 individuals in No 10 and Whitehall who will receive legal questionnaires from officers working on Operation Hillman.
Scotland Yard said it will be dispatching the questionnaires by the end of the week as officers consider whether to widen the investigation to cover a Christmas quiz in No 10 in December 2020.
Police are reconsidering their decision not to include that event after a photograph emerged of Mr Johnson and colleagues near an open bottle of sparkling wine.
The prime minister has already resisted calls to resign, but these are expected to grow louder if he is issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Asked at a press conference with Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg to discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine, the prime minister said he would not outline how he would respond until the police investigation concludes.
“That process must be completed, and I’m looking forward to it being completed and that’s the time to say more on that,” he told reporters in Brussels.
Pressed a second time, Mr Johnson responded: “I understand, but we’re going to wait for the process to be completed.”
