The findings of a police investigation into parties at Downing Street and Whitehall should be made public, Britain's justice minister Dominic Raab has said.
Police are investigating 12 separate gatherings - including three that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is known to have attended and one in his Downing Street flat - to find out whether coronavirus lockdown laws were broken.
Punishments for those who have broken the rules could be limited to fixed penalty notices, which might not be publicly disclosed, but Mr Raab, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said "justice must be done and seen to be done".
However, he said Mr Johnson "believes he acted in good faith at all times".
Officers are examining hundreds of documents and photographs in relation to the 12 events in 2020 and 2021 held while England was under coronavirus restrictions.
The evidence was passed to the police by the investigation team led by senior official Sue Gray, whose interim report yesterday highlighted "failures of leadership and judgment" at the heart of government but did not point the finger of blame at any individuals.
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Her conclusions were limited following a request by the Metropolitan Police to make only limited references to the events under investigation, leaving it to Scotland Yard to decide whether laws were broken.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Raab said: "Justice must be done and seen to be done.
"But I don't think I need to lecture or indeed advise the Metropolitan Police about how to conduct an investigation."
Asked whether Mr Johnson should quit if he is issued with a fixed penalty notice for breaching coronavirus rules, Mr Raab said: "Let's wait and see ... Allow the police to conduct their investigation and see, when they have ascertained the facts, quite what they conclude."
The police are examining around 300 photographs as part of the investigation into the alleged parties.
Mr Johnson's position appears to be secure for now following a meeting with Tory MPs and peers last night and the Prime Minister's promise to make major changes to his Downing Street operation.
Mr Johnson also committed to publishing a fuller version of Ms Gray's report once the police investigation has concluded - although it is not clear how detailed that will be and whether it will include the evidence submitted to the police.
Mr Johnson endured a difficult time in the House of Commons yesterday, where he told MPs: "I'm sorry for the things we simply didn't get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled."
Labour leader Keir Starmer has repeated his call for Mr Johnson to quit.
"The Prime Minister broke the rules, the Prime Minister lied about having broken the rules," he told the BBC.
"The Prime Minister had to start an investigation by Sue Gray and the Prime Minister's brought a criminal investigation upon himself.
"It's no good him trying to blame politicians in general. There's one person at the centre of this who has caused all of those problems and is subject to a criminal investigation because of his own behaviour.
"That's why I genuinely think that the time has come for him to go."
Tory former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell, who publicly told Mr Johnson in the Commons that he longer supports him , said No 10 is being run like a "medieval court".
"I think this is a crisis that is not going to go away and is doing very great damage to the party," he said.
Meanwhile, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who was thrown out of the Commons chamber after accusing Mr Johnson of misleading parliament, defended his actions.
"I'm to be punished because I've stood up for my constituents and stood up for the millions of people in the United Kingdom that feel real anger," he told the BBC.
"I have a duty to do what I have been sent to Westminster to do."
