HARWICH and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin finds himself at the heart of a formal investigation after the Metropolitan Police announced they will look into potential Covid breaches which took place at the Conservative party’s head offices in 2020.

The force said in a statement the specific event set to be investigated took place on December 8, 2020, at the CCHQ in Matthew Parker Street.

The investigation has been reopened because new evidence, which had not previously been available to police, surfaced last month in the form of a video taken at a birthday party believed to be held for Sir Bernard’s wife, Baroness Anne Jenkin.

A statement from Scotland Yard said the new evidence had prompted the Met to “revisit and update” their original decision not to issue any fixed penalty notices.

A Scotland Yard statement read: “Based on the information available at the time, that investigation did not lead to fixed penalty notices, but outcome letters sent to some participants stated that ‘the Metropolitan Police reserves the right to revisit this decision in the event that further significant evidence comes to light’.

“The receipt of video evidence has resulted in the Met revisiting and updating the assessment.”

Sir Bernard Jenkin, who has been a Conservative MP since 1992, is said to have attended the party which was held whilst social distancing rules were still in force.

The matter is made more complicated for the long-serving MP given it is Sir Bernard who serves on the Privileges Committee – the group which concluded last month Boris Johnson lied to the House of Commons over breaches of lockdown rules in Downing Street.

Sir Bernard is also the chairman of the Liaison Committee, which scrutinises the Prime Minister three times a year; indeed, he broke cover on Tuesday afternoon as to quiz Risihi Sunak on inflation and immigration.

The Met’s announcement that the investigation into alleged breaches of Covid rules has been re-opened, however, puts further pressure on Sir Bernard after fellow Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Mail on Sunday he would have to give up his role as Liaison Committee.

He said: “He [Sir Bernard] cannot hold this post while the questions are unanswered.

“He will not be taken seriously in this role, while people are chortling at him behind their hand, for his own peccadilloes.”

Sir Bernard has been contacted for comment.