POLICE are not opening an investigation into allegations Downing Street staff broke coronavirus rules with a Christmas party last year, in stark contrast to residents who had been found guilty of breaking Covid regulation over the last two years.

While the Met seem to be giving No. 10 staff a free pass, many in south Essex were not so lucky.

Over the course of successive lockdowns residents and people travelling to the area for gatherings were fined hundreds of pounds for breaking the law.

Southend resident Nathan Emmanuel, 38, was slapped with fines totalling £444 for attending a gathering of two or more people in east London on December 1, 2020.

Chelmsford Magistrate’s court dished out to a 23-year-old and 22-year-old for sitting in a car with friends in Westcliff on February 22 of this year.

Kiam Clark, and Emon Talukder, both of Newham, were fined £110 and £660 respectively after police caught them sitting in a parked car in Chalkwell Avenue.

North London resident Sima Starik, 43, was fined £660 for a one night stay at a residential property in Canvey on January 1 of this year. She told the court she was visiting to try the air too see if it would be beneficial to live out of London.

Scotland Yard said officers will not “commence an investigation” into the alleged No. 10 party in line with its “policy not to investigate retrospective breaches” of coronavirus rules.

But the Metropolitan Police was open to considering any further evidence unearthed in an internal investigation the Prime Minister was forced to task Cabinet Secretary Simon Case with undertaking as he claimed to be “furious” about the video.