DETAILS of the Met Police’s questionnaire being used to probe Downing Street parties have been revealed.

The form asks staff to provide a “lawful exception” or “reasonable excuse” for parties in the Prime Ministers’ home during lockdown, according to reports.

Boris Johnson has already handed back his questionnaire – which includes around a dozen questions – and the document, seen by ITV gives a glimpse into the sort of things he was likely to have been asked.

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But the document has been described as the “direct opposite” of a thorough investigation by criminal law experts.

Barrister Andrew Keogh told ITV the questions were “as basic as you can possibly imagine them to be”.

"It just suggests that there's no effort going into any real investigation of ascertaining who did what when and where and why."

The broadcaster revealed the Prime Minister and his staff may been asked questions including:

  • “Did you participate in a gathering on a specific date"
  • “What was the purpose of your participation in that gathering”
  • “Did you interact with, or undertake any activity with, other persons present at the gathering. If yes, please provide details”

The form reportedly also asks when the subject attended a party and how many others were present.

The Met Police said there were three ways to respond to the questionnaire – not answering questions, providing a written response or giving a prepared statement.

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It is understood the questionnaires were tailored for each attendee.

A No 10 spokesperson told the broadcaster: “We have confirmed the prime minister has been contacted by the Metropolitan Police. We will not be commenting further while the investigation is ongoing.”

Former Met Police Chief Superintendent Dal Babu has called the questions “pretty bland” and warned “a lawyer would perhaps give you a 'get out of jail card' in response to all of those questions”.

It comes after months of damaging reports exposed a culture of boozing and partying in No 10 during lockdown – in defiance of the Prime Minister’s own rules.

If staff are found by police to have broken the rules, they will face fines of £100 – rising to £200 for the second then doubling for each repeat offence up to a cap of £6400.

The senior civil servant Sue Gray’s internal investigation into Downing Street parties found “some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify”.

She also said the culture of drinking in Johnson’s government was “not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time”.