No 10 concedes it may have to hand over Partygate photos to Commons inquiry

Downing Street agrees to ‘work with’ privileges committee, which is set to launch new probe – with power to demand all evidence

No 10 has conceded it may have to hand over what are thought to be damning photos of lockdown-busting parties, after it abandoned attempts to block a Commons inquiry.

The Metropolitan Police is examining more than 300 photos of the gatherings, many of which broke the law – which will be demanded by a committee of MPs, now likely to launch its own probe.

Boris Johnson’s spokesman did not commit to releasing them, but promised Downing Street would “work with the committee” on that issue, if its inquiry goes ahead.

That now seems almost certain after Downing Street caved in to pressure from Tory MPs, who had been asked to vote to shelve a decision on a probe by the Commons privileges committee.

They have been promised a free vote later – but an Opposition motion calling for the inquiry to start after the police investigation has concluded is likely to pass without any vote at all.

Very few photos have emerged of the numerous No 10 parties and neither the Met police nor the stalled Sue Gray Cabinet Office inquiry are expected to release them.

But the privileges committee – which will inquire into whether Mr Johnson deliberately misled parliament and should resign – will have the power to demand all relevant documents.

No photos have been seen of the June 2020 “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden, or of the leaving parties for staff, including on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral.

It is claimed that photographs of Mr Johnson’s birthday gathering in the Cabinet room – which triggered his police fine – would show it was a celebration and cast his version of events into doubt.

The U-turn came after Labour threatened to plaster the names of Tory MPs who obstructed the probe across local elections leaflets and adverts, warning they would pay a heavy price.

It pointed to the public anger after last autumn’s “cover-up”, when Mr Johnson attempted to fix anti-sleaze rules to clear his ally Owen Paterson, a former cabinet minister.

The new inquiry would not start until after the police investigation has concluded, to prevent criticism that it would clash with the Met’s ongoing work.

Mr Johnson’s spokesman tried to explain the embarrassing U-turn on the grounds that Labour’s motion had not made clear that the inquiry would be delayed until after the Gray report.

“We are now content that any parliamentary process will take place both after the Met investigation and the Sue Gray report is published, which wasn’t specifically included in the Opposition motion,” he said.

In India – where Mr Johnson is on a trade trip – his press secretary said: “Our view has been about MPs having the full facts at their disposal and we are now confident that this is met.”