New photos of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attending parties during lockdown have surfaced, attracting renewed accusations of lying.

The pictures are believed to show Johnson at a leaving party on November 13,  2020.  In the photos, Johnson can also be seen raising a glass and chatting with several people around a table with bottles of wine and food.

At least one person who attended the event was fined, but Johnson was not. The Metropolitan Police are facing calls to explain as to why Johnson was not fined. In December 2021, lawmakers in the British parliament questioned Johnson about any such parties. He shrugged off the questions saying that no rules were broken.
No 10 has played down, but not firmly denied, reports that Johnson floated with senior civil servant Sue Gray the idea of shelving her Partygate investigation.

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London mayor Sadiq Khan sought answers from the Metropolitan Police about Johnson not being fined for attending the parties that broke COVID-19 rules. Other attendees were fined. 

However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps sought to defend Johnson on Tuesday, saying the new pictures showed he was “clearly not” partying.

“It looks to me he was asked to go and thank a member of staff who was leaving, raises a glass to them and I imagine comes in and out pretty quick, which is presumably why the police have not issued a fixed-penalty notice to the Prime Minister,” Shapps told BBC radio.

The deputy leader of the main opposition Labour party, Angela Rayner, said it was “astonishing” that Johnson was not fined for the November gathering.

She told ITV News that it looked “pretty clear” there was a party that was not a work event, calling it “pretty shocking” he had not been fined for it.

“He knew that he broke the rules, and he’s known it all along and yet he’s tried to get away with it,” she added.

“He’s tried to lie to the British public, and he’s tried to lie to parliament,” Rayner said.