This is not the time to hold house parties

The great majority of the British people have behaved sensibly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unfortunately, some have not.

In normal times it would be wrong for parliament to try to stop people attending parties but these are not normal times. There is a material risk that such parties could cause avoidable premature deaths.

That is why it was, sadly, necessary for the Home Secretary to announce yesterday that anyone attending a house party of more than fifteen people will be fined £800 from next week, ensuring our police have the powers they need to enforce the rules, to help stop the spread of the virus.

  • Whilst the vast majority of the British people are following the rules and staying at home, there are still a small minority who refuse to do the right thing, and the government and police have no choice but to crack down on serious cases of rule-breaking.
     
  • That is why the police have asked the government to introduce a new £800 fine for those attending house parties, which will double for each repeat offence to a maximum level of £6,400. These fines will apply to groups of more than fifteen people, with people gathering in groups of fifteen or fewer remaining subject to £200 fines that rise if the offence is repeated.
     
  • Our frontline police officers deserve our full backing – and these new powers will ensure they can enforce the rules so that everybody stays at home, to protect our NHS and save lives.

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