UK Politics

A former minister has urged fellow Tories to topple Boris Johnson or lose the next election, saying any other prime minister would have quit over the Partygate scandal.Tobias Ellwood described Sue Gray’s final report as “damning”, asking his colleagues: “Are you willing, day in and day out, to defend this behaviour publicly?”The former defence minister was heckled by MPs loyal to Mr Johnson as he warned of the “erosion of trust” with the British public.“Can he think of any other prime minister who would have allowed such a culture of indiscipline to take place under their watch? And if it did – would they not have resigned?”Mr Ellwood warned that, unless Mr Johnson is removed, “the broad church of the Conservative party will lose the next general election”In response, Mr Johnson insisted he retained the support of Conservative MPs, although he was speaking in front of half-empty Commons benches,On his chances at the general election, expected in 2024, he said: “Overwhelmingly, emphatically, yes. We are going to go on and win the next general election.”Mr Ellwood echoed Keir Starmer who also said it was up to Conservative MPs to no longer “hide in the backseat praying for a miracle”, after the Gray report.“Or they can act to stop this out of touch, out of control prime minister from driving Britain towards disaster,” the Labour leader told the Commons.Sir Keir argued the “values symbolised” by the famous Downing Street door “must be restored.”Tory MPs should “tell the current inhabitant, their leader, that this has gone on too long,” the Labour leader told his opponents.Mr Ellwood was the only Conservative to openly call for Mr Johnson to be removed, during his statement on the long-awaited 37-page report.Its publication is expected to trigger more demands from Tory MPs for a no-confidence vote in his leadership – with 54 signatures needed to trigger the contest.Most said they were awaiting Ms Gray’s conclusions before deciding whether to act, although much of the anger of earlier in the year has cooled as the saga has dragged on.In his statement, the prime minister repeated his claim that he did not realise he and others were breaking the rules at the time, so did not lie to parliament.He called on the country to “move on” from the scandal and insisted he had “learned the lesson” from the management failures in No 10, through an earlier overhaul of top staff.Mr Johnson also suggested there is no need to release the 300+ Partygate photos seen by the Metropolitan police, because the public has already seen “a representative sample of the images”. More

One of Boris Johnson’s former senior aides boasted “we seem to have got away with” the infamous bring your own booze garden party, Sue Gray’s report says.According to the investigation, Martin Reynolds, the prime minister’s former principle private secretary, was also warned by a No 10 official the ‘BYOB’ event was “somewhat of a comms risk” and urged to cancel the event.In the long-awaited report, Mr Reynolds, who invited staff to the event to enjoy the “lovely weather”, told Ms Gray, however, that he did not “recall any such conversation” over pulling the gathering.The event which began at 6pm on 20 May, 2020 – in the midst of England’s first lockdown – was attended by around 30-40 people, including the prime minister for around 30 minutes.Some No 10 staff who attended the gathering, the report states, were present early on in the evening with a number leaving between 10 and 11pm.It states that Lee Cain, Downing Street’s former director of communications, sent an email to Mr Reynolds ahead of the event, saying: “I’m sure it will be fine — and I applaud the gesture — but a 200 odd person invitation for drinks in the garden of No 10 is somewhat of a comms risk in the current environment.”It added: “Lee Cain says he subsequently spoke to Martin Reynolds and advised him that the event should be cancelled. Martin Reynolds does not recall any such conversation”.Ms Gray also wrote that Dominic Cummings, the former chief adviser to the prime minister, also told the investigation he raised concerns in writing, but “we have not found any documentary evidence of this”.Following the event, a No 10 special adviser thanked Mr Reynolds for “providing the wine”, saying it was “a very kind thing to do and I know everyone really appreciated it”.The event was also referenced in a subsequent WhatsApp message on an unknown date from Mr Reynolds to a special adviser, which said: “Best of luck — a complete non story but better than them focusing on our drinks (which we seem to have got away with).Earlier this year, it emerged an email sent on Mr Reynolds behalf was sent inviting around 200 staff to enjoy the “lovely weather” with some “socially distanced drinks in the garden” on the evening of 20 June, 2020.“Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”, the email added.Just an hour before the event, a Covid press conference took place upstairs in No 10 – reminding the public of the severe restrictions. But one special adviser, according to Ms Gray’s report, replied to Mr Reynold’s invite, saying “drinks this evening is a lovely idea”.“Just to flag that the press conference will probably be finishing around that time, so helpful if people can be mindful of that as speakers and cameras are leaving, not walking around waving bottles of wine etc”. In response, Mr Reynolds replied: “Will do my best!…” More

Downing Street cleaners and security staff have been subjected to a “lack of respect and poor treatment”, the likes of which they felt “unable to raise properly”, Sue Gray’s report into the Partygate scandal has revealed.The damning revelation was revealed in the report that looked into lockdown-busting parties held in the heart of government. It was published in full on Wednesday after a heavily-redacted version was released in January while the Metropolitan Police carried out its own probe into events.The findings of the inquiry, first launched in December, were made public by No 10 just before Boris Johnson met MPs in the Commons today’s round of Prime Minister’s Questions.Among the cataloguing of No 10’s boozy culture – of plucky junior civil servants following the lead of their more senior colleagues in attending the drunken events – are ruinous descriptions of the concerns of Downing Street’s cleaners and security staff being dismissed. Many of those workers are paid substantially less than the partygoing government staffers.In the conclusion of her report, Ms Gray states: “I found that some staff had witnessed or been subjected to behaviours at work which they had felt concerned about but at times felt unable to raise properly. “I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. “This was unacceptable. I am reassured to see that steps have since been taken to introduce more easily accessible means by which to raise concerns electronically, in person or online, including directly with the permanent secretary in No 10. “I hope that this will truly embed a culture that welcomes and creates opportunities for challenge and speaking up at all levels.” Addressing MPs in the Commons, prime minister Boris Johnson offered a stoney-faced apology to the security and cleaning staff for their “appalling” treatmentHe insisted he had “no knowledge” of such treatment, saying he was “surprised and disappointed” to hear about them.He told the chamber: “I have been as surprised and disappointed as anyone else in this House as the revelations have unfolded and, frankly, I have been appalled by some of the behaviour, particularly in the treatment of the security and the cleaning staff.“And I’d like to apologise to those members of staff and I expect anyone who behaved in that way to apologise to them as well.”Referring to Ms Gray’s report, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner tweeted: “Boris Johnson has turned Downing Street into a vomit-stained Bullingdon Club.“The treatment and mockery doled out to cleaning and security staff that has now been exposed is beyond shameful.“This prime minister has nothing but contempt for the people of this country.” More

Boris Johnson has urged the public to “move on” from partygate, as he said that lessons had been learned from the scandal. In his first public comments, just hours after he received Sue Gray’s damning report into events in Downing Street under Covid restrictions, he also said he accepted “full responsibility” for his failings.But he denied he had intentionally misled parliament and insisted he had been as “surprised and disappointed” as others to see the extent of the revellling in Downing Street. He ducked a direct question from one of his own MPs about reports he suggested to Ms Gray that she drop plans to publish her report, saying only that the decision of what to put in the public domain was one for the senior civil servant. The Gray report criticises what it said was a “serious failure” to abide by the “standards expected of the entire British population” during the pandemic.It found that a senior advisor to the prime minister boasted “we seem to have got away with” the now notorious ‘bring your own booze’ garden party during coronavirus restrictions.Other findings include that one individual threw up and a scuffle broke out at another leaving do for a No 10 official.And after a party on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, one reveller finally left No 10 at 4.20 am. The prime minister has been accused of presiding over Covid lockdown breaches on a “record-breaking scale”, after the Metropolitan Police issued 126 fines for events spanning eight dates. Mr Johnson himself received just a single fine, for a party to martk his birthday during lockdown.Referring to Ms Gray’s report, Mr Johnson said: “I hope very much that now that she has reported we will be able to move on and focus on the priorities of the British people”.But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told him to resign saying : “It is time to pack his bags” . He urged unhappy Conservative MPs to act to oust their leader. They should “tell the current inhabitant (of No 10) that this has gone on too long,” he said.They “can hide in the backseat praying for a miracle” or “they can act to stop this out of touch, out of control prime minister from driving Britain towards disaster,” he added. More

Sue Gray’s report into the Partygate scandal attacks “a serious failure” to abide by the “standards expected of the entire British population” during the Covid pandemic.The long-awaited inquiry into the No 10 parties concludes “too little thought” was given in Boris Johnson’s No 10 into “the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public”.“There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times,” Ms Gray writes.“Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”The senior Whitehall mandarin highlights how junior staff “believed that their involvement in some of these events was permitted given the attendance of senior leaders.“The events that I investigated were attended by leaders in government,” the report states, adding: “The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture.”Ms Gray also criticises the revelation that, on at least one occasion, a security guard protested at a party taking place, but his warning was dismissed.“Some staff had witnessed or been subjected to behaviours at work which they had felt concerned about but at times felt unable to raise properly,” she writes.“I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. This was unacceptable.”Ms Gray also concludes that the public will be “dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of government”.The publication of the report is expected to trigger more demands from appalled Tory MPs for a no-confidence vote in his leadership – with 54 signatures needed to trigger the contest.However, she adds: “It is my firm belief, however, that these events did not reflect the prevailing culture in government and the Civil Service at the time.”Most said they were awaiting Ms Gray’s conclusions before deciding whether to act, although much of the anger of earlier in the year has cooled as the saga has dragged on.The prime minister will make a statement to MPs later, when he will repeat his claim that he did not realise he and others were breaking the rules at the time, so did not lie to parliament.He is expected to tell the Commons: “I commissioned this report to set the record straight and allow us all to move on. I accept full responsibility for my failings. I am humbled by the whole experience. We have learned our lesson.”The phrasing will be seen as an argument that Mr Johnson has already put right the failings that led to the law-breaking, with his shake-up of No 10 earlier this year. More

One reveller stayed in No 10 until 4.20 am on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, the Sue Gray report has found.Another left the now notorious party, in which a swing in the Downing Street garden was broken, just after 3am, her long-awaited findings show.The report found that individuals were encouraged to leave by the rear exit of No 10, but some “remained in the building and carried on drinking alcohol until the early hours”. “Exit logs indicate that some left after midnight and others between 01.45-02.45. Two members of staff stayed later still, with one leaving at 03.11 and the last leaving at 04:20” the report states. The prime minister has been accused of presiding over Covid lockdown breaches on a “record-breaking scale”, after the Metropolitan Police issued 126 fines for events over eight dates during its investigation into the partygate scandal.Mr Johnson himself received just a single fine, over his birthday party during lockdown.The report criticises a “ serious failure” to abide by the “standards expected of the entire British population” during the Covid pandemic.It also shows one individual threw up and a scuffle broke out at a leaving do for a No 10 official. Sue Gray also said that she had learned of multiple examples of “unacceptable” treatment of security and cleaning staff during her investigation into partygate. “I found that some staff had witnessed or been subjected to behaviours at work which they had felt concerned about but at times felt unable to raise properly,” she wrote. “I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. This was unacceptable.”Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry has called for today to “be the day” Mr Johnson resigns.Speaking to Times Radio, she said he could not “front” this out by “wriggling and lying and trying to drag other people in” to cover up for his own actions. “Today should be the day he takes responsibility for coming to Parliament and lying to us.,” she said. “Our democracy depends on politicians not being allowed to lie like that.Ms Thornberry added: “He should do the right thing today and resign.” More

Sue Gray’s report into Covid lockdown-busting parties at Downing Street has been published in full. It comes after a heavily-redacted version was released in January as the Metropolitan Police carried out its investigations into Partygate. The much-antipated full report gives the clearest picture so far of the events that have caused widespread public anger.It is more than 40 pages long and contains nine photos of Partygate incidents, some which show Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak present. Below are the first few pages and her conclusions, as well as a link to the full report:FINDINGS OF SECOND PERMANENT SECRETARY’S INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED GATHERINGS: REPORT1. On 8 December 2021 the Prime Minister asked the Cabinet Secretary to carry out an investigation into allegations reported in the media relating to gatherings in No 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education during November and December 2020. 2. On 17 December 2021 the Cabinet Secretary recused himself from the investigation as a result of allegations concerning an online quiz held by his private office in the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2020 in 70 Whitehall. It was at this point that I was asked to lead this work. 3. The terms of reference for the investigation were published on 9 December 2021. The primary purpose of the investigation was to establish a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings including: attendance; the setting; and the purpose, with reference to adherence to the guidance in place at the time.4. On 31 January 2022 I published an update (appended to this report and including the detailed terms of reference and the timeline of regulations) which set out the methodology of the investigation; the 16 gatherings within its scope; and a number of limited, general findings. It also confirmed that the Metropolitan Police Service had decided to investigate events on the following dates: 20 May 2020: a gathering in the garden of No 10 Downing Street for No 10 staff; 8 June 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall on the departure of a No 10 official; 19 June 2020: a gathering in the Cabinet room in No 10 Downing Street on the Prime Minister’s birthday; 3 November 2020: a gathering in the No 10 Downing Street flat; x 13 November 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a special adviser; 17 December 2020: a gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall to hold an online Christmas quiz for the Cabinet Secretary’s private office;17 December 2020: a gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall on the departure of a senior Cabinet Office official and a No 10 official; 17 December 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of two No 10 officials; 18 December 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street ahead of the Christmas break; 14 January 2021; a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of two No 10 officials; 16 April 2021; A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a senior No 10 official; 16 April 2020; gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of another No 10 official.The Metropolitan Police assessed that the following gatherings did not reach the threshold for criminal investigation: 15 May 2020: photograph showing a number of groups in the garden of No 10; 27 November 2020: a gathering in No 10 on the departure of a special adviser; 10 December 2020: a gathering in the Department for Education ahead of the Christmas break; 15 December 2020: a gathering in No 10 for an online Christmas Quiz. Outcome of the Metropolitan Police investigation 5. As I said in my 31 January update it was not for me to make a judgment on whether the criminal law had been broken: that is properly a matter for law enforcement bodies. Further to that on 19 May 2022 the Metropolitan Police announced that they had concluded their investigation. They confirmed that they had made 126 referrals for Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations in relation to events on the following eight dates:20 May 202018 June 2020 19 June 2020 13 November 2020 17 December 2020 18 December 2020 14 January 2021 16 April 2021 6. They did not specify to whom or in relation to which events those FPNs were issued, nor have they shared that information with me. They did confirm that a total of 83 individuals received FPNs and that some people received more than one. In order to refer for an FPN, officers were required to have a reasonable belief that the individual had committed an offence under the regulations. 7. The prime minister and the chancellor each confirmed that they had received an FPN in relation to the event on the 19th June 2020. The Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service confirmed that he has not received an FPN. 8. Now that the police have concluded their enquiries I am able to set out in more detail, and in line with my terms of reference, my findings with respect to the gatherings within the scope of my investigation.Conclusions1. The general findings set out in my update of 3 January 2022 still stand2. Whatever the initial intent, what took place at many of these gatherings and the way in which they developed was not in line with Covid guidance at the time. Even allowing for the extraordinary pressures officials and advisers were under, the factual findings of this report illustrate some attitudes and behaviours inconsistent with that guidance. It is also clear, from the outcome of the police investigation, that a large number of individuals (83) who attended these events breached Covid regulations and therefore Covid guidance. 3. I have already commented in my update on what I found to be failures of leadership and judgment in No 10 and the Cabinet Office. The events that I investigated were attended by leaders in government. Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen. It is also the case that some of the more junior civil servants believed that their involvement in some of these events was permitted given the attendance of senior leaders. The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture.4. In my update I made a number of general limited findings, I am pleased progress is being made in addressing the issues I raised. I commented on the fragmentary and complicated leadership structures in No 10. Since my update there have been changes to the organisation and management of Downing Street and the Cabinet Office with the aim of creating clearer lines of leadership and accountability and now these need the chance and time to bed in. 5. I found that some staff had witnessed or been subjected to behaviours at work which they had felt concerned about but at times felt unable to raise properly. I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. This was unacceptable. I am reassured to see that steps have since been taken to introduce more easily accessible means by which to raise concerns electronically, in person or online, including directly with the Permanent Secretary in No 10. I hope that this will truly embed a culture that welcomes and creates opportunities for challenge and speaking up at all levels. 6. I also made a recommendation that steps should be taken to ensure that every government department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace. Since then guidance has been issued to all government departments.7. The matter of what disciplinary action should now take place is outside of the scope of this report and is for others to consider. Nothing set out in this report can be taken as constituting a disciplinary investigation or findings of fact appropriate for such a purpose. However, I do offer a reflection: while there is no excuse for some of the behaviour set out here it is important to acknowledge that those in the most junior positions attended gatherings at which their seniors were present, or indeed organised. I have no doubt that they will have taken the learning from this experience and, while this is not a matter for me, I hope this will be taken into account in considering any disciplinary action.8. Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of Government. The public have a right to expect the very highest standards of behaviour in such places and clearly what happened fell well short of this. It is my firm belief, however, that these events did not reflect the prevailing culture in Government and the Civil Service at the time. Many thousands of people up and down the country worked tirelessly to deliver in unprecedented times. I remain immensely proud to be a civil servant and of the work of the service and the wider public sector during the pandemic.Read her full report here. More

Several hundred climate protesters disrupted a TotalEnergies shareholders meeting in Paris and blocked the entrance to the gathering Wednesday to denounce the oil and gas giant’s stake in Russia despite Moscow’s war in Ukraine.TotalEnergies tweeted that due to activists impeding access to the meeting, “it unfortunately won’t be possible for our shareholders to join us.” It said interested viewers could follow the meeting on the company’s website.Protesters representing Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and other environmental organizations denounced TotalEnergies for its huge presence in Russia as well as an oil pipeline project in Uganda and Tanzania that the protesters denounced as a “climate bomb.” TotalEnergies, a subsidiary of Total, published in March its “principles of conduct” in Russia, which said the company would “gradually suspend its activities in Russia” and strictly comply with European Union sanctions “no matter what the consequences on the management of its assets in Russia.” The statement said TotalEnergies does not operate oil or gas fields or liquified natural gas plants in Russia but has numerous stakes in various Russian companies. It said the company continues supplying Europe with liquefied natural gas from a plant in Russia’s Yamal Peninsula to honor long-term contracts “as long as Europe’s governments consider that Russian gas is necessary.”___Follow AP’s coverage of climate issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate and of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine More