The Metropolitan Police’s decision to limit the findings of the unpublished Sue Gray party report has been described as “absolute nonsense”, with public anger over the issue growing.
Shortly after it launched its own inquiry into reports of illegal lockdown parties in Downing Street, the police instructed the Cabinet Office to remove some details from its long-awaited report, which had been due to be released this week.
The move was taken to avoid prejudicing the Met Police’s criminal investigation, the force said in a statement on Friday morning.
As a result, Sue Gray’s inquiry can now only make “minimal reference” to events currently being investigated by the police.
Lawyers were quick to rubbish the Met’s justification. “This is absolute nonsense from the Met Police. A purely factual report by Sue Gray cannot possibly prejudice a police investigation,” former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal said.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 Bereaved Families For Justice campaign group suggested the force had “broken the trust of the public”.
Corruption experts warn Boris Johnson’s government is worst since WWII
Boris Johnson’s administration is the most corrupt in Britain since the Second World War, experts have said. Experts have warned that Boris Johnson‘s administration is more corrupt “than any UK government since the Second World War”.
An “absolute failure of integrity at No 10” could have potentially serious consequences for the UK if allowed to fester, researchers at Sussex University’s Centre for the Study Corruption warned.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has this report:
Met police move ‘disproportionate’, says former prosecutions chief
Lord Macdonald, former director of public prosecutions, suggested the Metropolitan Police stance – that the Sue Gray report should omit details that “could avoid any prejudice” – was “disproportionate”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “If we’re talking about fixed penalty notices – like parking tickets, essentially – if we’re talking about that kind of resolution, then to take the rather grave step to delay a report that is going to shed public light on the subject matter of what may be a major public scandal, I think that is undesirable and I think it may be a misjudgment.
“It is really to say that if we are simply talking about lockdown breaches and fixed penalty notices, this move by the police this morning seems to be disproportionate.”
Watch: Raising national insurance ‘wrong’, says Starmer
Downing Street denies involvement in police decision on partygate report
No 10 has denied that it played any role in the Met Police’s dramatic decision to block the release of all but “minimal” information about parties in Downing Street.
A government spokesperson said it is “not at all” true that Boris Johnson is pleased by the likely delay to the full release of Sue Gray’s report.
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more details:
Sturgeon responds to latest partygate developments
More reaction is in on the Met Police’s decision to water down the Sue Gray report.
Here’s what Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has to say:
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The government has said the British public will support the national insurance rise.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “Of course we understand that people may not want to pay more in tax.
“But we’ve set out the rationale for this and I think it’s clear that one of the public’s number one priorities is to support the NHS and to help the NHS.”
Bereaved families: partygate investigation becoming a ‘circus’
The investigation into No 10 lockdown parties is becoming a “circus”, according to the spokeswoman for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group.
Fran Hall, whose husband served in the police for more than three decades before dying with coronavirus, accused the Metropolitan Police of letting bereaved families down.
The Met has asked for Sue Gray’s partygate report to make “minimal reference” to events it is investigating to avoid prejudicing inquiries – but this has led to criticism that the findings will be watered down.
Ms Hall said the force had “broken the trust of the public”.
You can read the full story below.
Tory MP criticises Met Police’s decision over Sue Gray report
Tory MP Roger Gale has joined the chorus of criticism against the Met Police’s interference with the Sue Gray inquiry.
See his tweet below:
Tory MP: Gray report will give public ‘all the information they need’
Sue Gray’s report into No 10 lockdown parties will give the public “all the information they need”, a junior minister has claimed.
The Met police has requested that the report makes “minimal reference” to events officers are investigating.
But Croydon South MP Chris Philp told the BBC: “I think what is clear is that between Sue Gray’s report and the police investigation, everything will be fully covered and that will give parliament, and indeed the public, all of the information they need about these incidents.”
How many Tory MPs have called for Boris Johnson to quit?
So far seven Tory MPs have publicly called for Boris Johnson to quit, but others are believed to have done so privately in letters to the chairman of the Conservatives’ 1922 Committee.
If the number of letters received by Sir Graham Brady hits 54, representing 15% of all Tory MPs, then a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister’s leadership will be triggered.
Mr Johnson would then have to win the support of half of Conservatives MPs in order to stay in No 10.
