£10K Covid fines were too high, admits Priti

On-the-spot fines of £10,000 for breaching Covid laws on large gatherings were too high, the home secretary during the pandemic has said.

Dame Priti Patel told the Covid inquiry the penalty – introduced ahead of the August bank holiday in 2020 – was not proportionate.

She added that, along with her officials at the Home Office, she had pushed back against it at the time.

Hundreds of such fines were issued by police during the pandemic.

At the time, the government said the penalty – for hosting unlawful gatherings of more than 30 people – would act as a “new deterrent” against rule breaches.

It was subsequently criticised in a report by MPs in September 2021, who argued fines of such size should only be imposed by a court.

However, evidence heard by the Covid inquiry showed the extent to which the fines were part of the government’s strategy for encouraging compliance.

A handwritten note from former PM Boris Johnson suggested he wanted them emphasised when restrictions were eased in the summer of 2020.

“I agree with the openings, but the OVERRIDING MESSAGE should be about tougher enforcement and BIGGER FINES,” it read.

The lawyer for the inquiry noted the “crushing irony” of the memo. Mr Johnson was himself handed a £50 fine for breaking different Covid-era restrictions in April last year.

According National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) data from June 2021, 366 fines of £10,000 were issued by police forces in England and Wales.

In its 2021 report, MPs on the Commons justice committee said the government should not rely on large spot fines to enforce public health laws, adding police could not take people’s financial circumstances into account.

Elsewhere in her testimony, Dame Priti said she felt the policing of the 2021 vigil to remember murder victim Sarah Everard was “totally inappropriate”.

The Metropolitan Police was criticised for its handling of the unofficial event, which saw hundreds of people gather on Clapham Common, south London, after a planned event was cancelled.

The force was later found to have breached the rights of the organisers – and subsequently apologised and paid damages to two women arrested at the event.

A WhatsApp message shown at the inquiry from Lord Frost, then a Cabinet Office minister, suggested there was concern about the regulations within government at the time.

“Truth is the rules on outside gatherings are close to unenforceable and are evidently being widely ignored in all kinds of contexts now,” his message read.

Dame Priti also accepted that the Covid regulations had proved confusing for both the public and police – but said drafting the legislation was “solely the domain” of Matt Hancock’s health department.

Giving evidence ahead of Dame Priti, former police leader Martin Hewitt said forces had struggled to keep on top of the many rule changes.

Mr Hewitt, who was boss of the national police chiefs’ council throughout the pandemic, also said officers should have been consulted more often when rules were drafted.

He added in one case officers had to delay enforcement of a new Covid regulation, having received only 16 minutes’ notice before it legally came into effect.

He also said ministers had created “confusion” among the public about the requirements by conflating laws and guidance during media interviews.

— Reports /TrainViral/