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| PM Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie alongside Chancellor Rishi Sunak |
Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, have been notified that they will be issued with fines for breaking lockdown rules.
The fixed penalty notices are the result of a Metropolitan Police investigation into parties in Downing Street and Whitehall in 2020 and 2021.
Mr Johnson will become the first sitting prime minister to receive a punishment for breaking the law.
Labour immediately called for both the PM and chancellor to resign while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for parliament to be recalled for a vote of confidence in Mr Johnson.
Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon also demanded that they should quit while her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford said the PM must go too.
Earlier, the Met disclosed that it had now referred more than 50 cases for fixed penalties as a result of the probe, called Operation Hillman.
PM to be fined for attending his very own birthday party
It is understood that across the country there have been few examples of more lockdown fines being issued relating to any single address.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister and chancellor have today received notification that the Metropolitan police intend to issue them with fixed penalty notices."
A spokesperson for the PM's wife said: "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."
No 10 confirmed the prime minister's fine was in relation to him attending his birthday party in the Cabinet Room in Downing Street in June 2020.
According to Sky News Mr Sunak only ever answered questions in relation to that one event.
Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns previously claimed Mr johnson was "ambushed by a cake at the event, where up to 30 people are said to have gathered and sung Happy Birthday.
The country cannot have criminals and prevaricators in Power
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "This is the first time in the history of our country that a Prime Minister has been found to be in breach of the law, and then he lied repeatedly to the public about it. Britain deserves better, they have to go."
Ms Sturgeon said: "Boris Johnson must resign. He broke the law and repeatedly lied to parliament about it.
"The basic values of integrity and decency - essential to the proper working of any parliamentary democracy - demand that he go. And he should take his out of touch chancellor with him."
Sir Ed Davey said: "The country cannot have criminals and liars leading our government, especially at a time of national and international crisis.
"Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak took the country's sacrifices for granted, while they broke the law to party in Downing Street.
"They are not fit to hold office. If they had a shred of decency, they would resign."
Is this the right time to unseat PM?
Backbench Tory MP Sir Roger Gale - one of a number who have written no-confidence letters over the partygate affair - said "now is not the moment" for him to be unseated given the crisis in Ukraine but added: "I don't think the PM will lead us into the next election."
Another Conservative, Andrew Bridgen, said: "This is not the time to remove the PM given the international situation, but this is not the end of this matter."
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who had also submitted a no-confidence letter but since withdrawn it, took a similar line, saying that though the public were "rightly furious" that given the war "it wouldn't be right to remove the prime minister at this time".
The Met launched its investigation in January.
Officers required around 100 Downing Street and Whitehall staff members including the PM and chancellor to fill out formal legal questionnaires as part of the investigation.
Speaking in the Commons in December after allegations of parties in Downing Street first emerged, Mr Johnson said "all guidance was followed completely in No 10".
The PM has faced claims that he breached the ministerial code - which says that "ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer their resignation".
Mr Sunak told parliament in December: "No, I did not attend any parties."
In late March, the force confirmed detectives had begun interviewing key witnesses on details related to the questionnaire responses.
The prime minister received a questionnaire on 11 February. It is thought he attended as many as six of the events under scrutiny.
Mr Johnson has batted off questions over whether he would be "toast" if he received a penalty and refused to acknowledge that the issuing of fines meant the law has been broken - though two cabinet ministers, Dominic Raab and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, acknowledged there were rule breaches.
Police announced the first 20 fines on 1 April for people who attended a leaving do for a Number 10 official on 18 June 2020 in the Cabinet Office building at 70 Whitehall.
Some of those fines were also handed out to people who attended two events on 16 April 2021, the day before Prince Philip's funeral.
PM birthday attendees among those probed
Fixed penalty notices do not amount to a criminal conviction, but they can result in a court summons and criminal prosecution if they are not paid.
According to Sky News: The 12 events investigated by the police took place over eight separate dates and include a "bring your own booze" event in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020, organised by the PM's principal private secretary Martin Reynolds.
Another was a surprise birthday gathering for Mr Johnson in the cabinet room in June 2020, attended by the chancellor.
Scotland Yard launched its investigation following the conclusion of the internal government inquiry led by senior civil servant Sue Gray.
A restricted version of her report was published at the end of January, but many details were removed so as not to compromise the police investigation.
It is unclear whether the full report will now be published. The PM's official spokesman has previously said discussions were needed "with the Met and others about what is suitable".
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