Thread by @AdamWagner1

🚨Fixed Penalty Notices for indoor gatherings of over 15 people to be increased to £800 for attendance.

- Currently Fixed Penalty Notices for attending gatherings in breach of rules is maximum £200 (or £100 if you pay within 14 days)

This is wrong in BBC announcement - @ChrisMasonBBC

Current Fixed Penalty Notice for someone who "holds or is involved in the holding" of a gathering over over 30 people (not 15) is £10,000

See legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374…

As I have pointed out a few times, the £10,000 Fixed Penalty Notice 'mega fine' has always been a strange aspect of the regulations enforcement regime.

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1345711292988993538?s=20

The Fixed Penalty Notice regime is a mess because there is no right of review or appeal. Police only need to "reasonably believe" an offence has been committed to give one out, but police (as seen many times) often don't understand the law themselves

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1308471879028670464?s=20

Another curious aspect of this announcement is that police have no explicit power of entry under Coronavirus Regulations so not easy to enforce things which are happening inside private residences. Not impossible, but not easy.

However, I do think that if there is going to be focus on enforcement then large unlawful indoor gatherings (i.e. without reasonable excuse) should be it - as I have said many times recently - not exercise outdoors

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1348363557071630337?s=20

I'm dubious that the report of people getting £10,000 for organising an unlawful gathering of over 15 people is right. But could be wrong.

Remember, this only applies to gatherings where there is no exception, e.g.:
- All from one household
- From 2 linked households
etc etc (these aren't all of them), they are here legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1374…

Also, SAGE haven’t suggested ‘crackdowns’ are the way to encourage compliance. Entirely possible they do the opposite. But Home Office will Home Office

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1348363552697032705