UK Politics

Whitehall mandarin Sue Gray has said she is unable to present a “meaningful report” into allegations of rule-breaking parties in No 10 due to the ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation.Publishing an “update” of her report, Ms Gray insisted she was “extremely limited” over the information she could reveal after day of wrangling in the wake of Cressida Dick’s decision to launch a police probe.Scotland Yard last week asked Ms Gray to make only “minimal reference” to gatherings being investigated by its officers.However, she did reveal the 12 events being investigated by the police, including the “bring your own booze” gathering on 20 May, 2020 and the allegation of gathering in the prime minister’s residence on 13 November, 2020.And while heavily censored, the senior civil servant also blasted the “failures of leadership and judgement” in No 10 and the Cabinet Office.She stressed that some events “represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time”.“There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times,” she said.“A number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.“There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across government. This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded. “But she added: “As a result of the Metropolitan Police’s investigations, and so as not to prejudice the police investigative process, they have told me that it would only be appropriate to make minimal reference to the gatherings on the dates they are investigating. “Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather”.Her remarks were published in a 12-page “update” of the investigation into alleged gatherings on government premises during Covid restrictions, as Boris Johnson prepared to face MPs in the Commons.Downing Street has so far refused to commit to publishing a fuller version of Ms Gray’s findings once the police investigation has concluded. More

Sue Gray on Monday released her long-awaited report into Downing Street‘s rule breaking parties during the Covid lockdown. Here are the key points of the investigation and what she concluded.• Firstly, report is very short, just eight and a half pages long or 12 if you include a number of blank pages and the title page. This includes annexes simply re-stating the regulations at the time and the terms of reference of the inquiry. This short length may reflect the Metropolitan Police’s demand that key details be left out of the document. • The conclusion of the report simply says that “a number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did”. Gray adds that “there is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government”. Notably, she concludes that “This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded”.• Sue Gray says that it is “not for me to make a judgement on whether the criminal law has been broken” and that is properly a matter for the police. • She says the police have indicated to her that they are investigating parties 12 of the 16 reported parties, with the exception of those noted on 15 May 2020, 27 November 2020, 10 December 2020, and 15 December 2020. These four events were not thought to reach the threshold for criminal investigation.• The report also makes clear that Sue Gray considered that due to the police request that she not prejudice their investigation, she sees herself as “extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather”. She also decided not to publish factual accounts of the events.• Gray says that there was “too little thought given to what was happening across the country” by staff and that there “were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times”.• She also believes that the “excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time”.• The civil servant also believes that the number of staff working at Downing Street has increased too quickly and that “the structures that support the smooth operation of Downing Street, however, have not evolved sufficiently to meet the demands of this expansion”. She says leadership in the department has become too fragmented – but does not criticise any individuals. More

Sue Gray hands Boris Johnson a version of her partygate inquirySue Gray’s heavily-censored report into the partygate scandal has blasted “failures of leadership and judgment” in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office.The long-awaited report was published by Downing Street at 2.30pm after being delivered to Boris Johnson this morning.The prime minister is set to respond and face a grilling from MPs in the House of Commons at 3.30pm. After an eleventh-hour intervention by police, senior civil servant Ms Gray was required to strip the report of all but “minimal” references to alleged breaches of Covid regulations in parties and social gatherings in No 10 and Whitehall departments.The Met asked her to remove key details, saying this was necessary to avoid prejudicing its own probe.Earlier today, the prime minister refused to be drawn when asked if the report would be a “whitewash”.He said: “I stick absolutely to what I’ve said in the past”.Show latest update

1643640305What are the key findings of Sue Gray’s report?Jon Stone has a summary of the key findings of the civil servant’s inquiry here.Laurie Churchman31 January 2022 14:451643640146Boris Johnson’s birthday and flat party among dozen gatherings investigated by MetBoris Johnson’s birthday celebration is among a dozen gatherings being investigated by police.An alleged party in the prime minister’s private flat was also confirmed to be part of Scotland Yard’s probe by Sue Gray’s long-awaited report.Laurie Churchman31 January 2022 14:421643639995Sue Gray finds ‘failures of leadership and judgment’ in report on Downing Street partiesSue Gray’s heavily-censored report into the partygate scandal has blasted “failures of leadership and judgment” in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office.The long-awaited report was published by Downing Street at 2.30pm after being delivered to Boris Johnson at 11.20am on Monday. The prime minister is due to give his response in the House of Commons and be grilled by MPs in an hour’s time.After an eleventh-hour intervention by police, senior civil servant Ms Gray was required to strip the report of all but “minimal” references to alleged breaches of Covid regulations in parties and social gatherings in No 10 and Whitehall departments.Laurie Churchman31 January 2022 14:391643639857Sue Gray report: “Serious failure” to observe the high standardsA limited version of the report into No 10 and Whitehall parties during lockdown has criticised a “serious failure” to observe the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government.The version of Ms Gray’s report published online said: “It seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public”.The Downing Street garden was used for gatherings “without clear authorisation or oversight” in a way that was “not appropriate”.Laurie Churchman31 January 2022 14:371643639678Police investigating No 10 gathering on Boris Johnson’s birthday, inquiry update suggestsPolice are investigating the No 10 gathering in the Cabinet Room on Boris Johnson’s birthday in 2020, Sue Gray’s update on her inquiry suggests.More as we have it.Laurie Churchman31 January 2022 14:341643639378Sue Gray: ‘Behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify’Sue Gray says some of the behaviour around lockdown gatherings is “difficult to justify”.In the 12-page report, she writes: “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify.”Laurie Churchman31 January 2022 14:291643639129Update on Sue Gray’s investigation publishedThe update on Sue Gray’s investigation has been published.The ‘Investigation into alleged gatherings on government premises during Covid restrictions – Update’ has been released here.More as we have it.Laurie Churchman31 January 2022 14:251643638486Will Boris Johnson resign?Boris Johnson is facing the most politically perilous moment of his premiership.As he prepares to address MPs about Sue Gray’s pared-back “update” on her investigation into No 10 lockdown parties, Ashley Cowburn and Joe Sommerlad have this blow-by-blow account of the allegations that have rocked Downing Street. More

Sue Gray’s heavily-censored report into the partygate scandal has blasted “failures of leadership and judgment” in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office.The report considered a total of 16 separate social events at 10 Downing Street and other government departments which took place while Covid regulations imposed strict limits on gatherings anywhere in the UK.In a scathing comment on the culture at No 10 under Boris Johnson’s leadership, the Whitehall mandarin wrote: “Some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time”.The long-awaited report was published by Downing Street at 2.30pm after being delivered to Boris Johnson at 11.20am on Monday. The prime minister was due to give his response and be grilled by MPs an hour later in a statement to the House of Commons.After an eleventh-hour intervention by police, senior civil servant Ms Gray was required to strip the report of all but “minimal” references to alleged breaches of Covid regulations in parties and social gatherings in No 10 and Whitehall departments. Ms Gray said that the police request had made it impossible for her to deliver a “meaningful report” on the full range of event which took place in No 10 during 2020 and 2021.“I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather,” she said.She described her 12-page report as an “update” on her inquiries, suggesting that a fuller report may be published when the police investigation is concluded.The report did not mention Mr Johnson by name and made direct criticism of individuals for what took place in No 10.But it said: “There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times.”And Ms Gray concluded: “A number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.“There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across government. This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded. “Ms Gray raised concerns about the ability of Downing Street staff to raise concerns about gatherings and breaches of social distancing rules over which they felt uneasy.“Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so,” she said. “No member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it. There should be easier waysfo r staff to raise such concerns informally, outside of the line management chain.” More

Boris Johnson’s birthday celebration is among a dozen gatherings being investigated by police.The prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, reportedly helped organise a surprise event for him in Downing Street’s cabinet room on 19 June 2020, where attendees presented a cake and sang “happy birthday”.Covid laws at the time meant that large social gatherings were banned, unless they were between linked households.An alleged party in the prime minister’s private flat in November 2020 was also confirmed to be part of the probe by Sue Gray’s long-awaited report, alongside several leaving dos and Christmas parties.The senior civil servant wrote: “It is not for me to make a judgment on whether the criminal law has been broken; that is properly a matter for law enforcement. “In line with my terms of reference I have been in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police as my work has progressed in order for them to take decisions on the gatherings under examination, including whether to launch their own investigation.” More

Boris Johnson will this afternoon publish Sue Gray’s “partygate” report and make a statement to the Commons on alleged breaches of Covid regulations.The prime minister will face MPs’ questions on the scandal for around 90 minutes after the parliamentary statement, which is scheduled for 3.30pm. He is then due to face Tory MPs at a behind-closed-doors meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee at 6.30pm.The senior civil servant’s report was handed to No 10 at 11.20 on Monday morning, shorn of many key details at the request of the Metropolitan Police, which is conducting a parallel investigation.The Cabinet Office described the document as an “update” on Ms Gray’s inquiry, raising speculation that she intends to publish a full report following the conclusion of the police inquiry.However, Downing Street said it had not yet been decided whether the full Gray report will ever be made public.Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson said that today’s update will be published in exactly the form it was received from the Whitehall mandarin, with no further redaction by No 10.Asked if the PM was grateful to Ms Gray for her work, the spokesperson replied: “Yes. Obviously he commissioned this work to be carried out.” He said Mr Johnson spoke “briefly” with Ms Gray on Sunday to discuss the timing of the report’s presentation and publication, but said they did not talk about its contents.The report was commissioned by Mr Johnson into alleged rule breaking at No 10 during the various coronavirus lockdowns.Claims include birthday parties for the prime minister himself, a Christmas party, and staff raving in a basement while a special advisor acted as a DJ.Cheese and wine evenings, recommendations to ‘bring your own booze’, and regular so-called ‘Wine Time Fridays’ are among other claims been looked at.Opposition figures and some Tory MPs have said they do not need to wait for the report to know whether the prime minister broke the rules, given the wide extent of reported festivities.But some Conservatives are said to be waiting to see its findings before deciding whether or not to trigger a leadership challenge into the PM.Cabinet Office spokesman said on Monday morning: “We can confirm that Sue Gray has provided an update on her investigations to the prime minister.” More

Boris Johnson is to warn Vladimir Putin to “step back from the brink” over Ukraine in a phone call this afternoon, before travelling to Kyiv on Tuesday for talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky.Speaking ahead of the call, the prime minister said that Putin faces “bitter and bloody” resistance from the people of Ukraine if Russia launches an invasion of its neighbour.Mr Johnson said a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “an absolute disaster for the world”.The prime minister will be joined by foreign secretary Liz Truss on tomorrow’s one-day visit to Ukraine, which takes place with tensions sky-high over the Russian military build-up on the other side of the border.The trip represents a very visible display of British support for Ukraine, and comes after Mr Johnson sent a small deployment of troops on a training mission to the country, as well as providing defensive weaponry including anti-tank armaments.Speaking to reporters during a visit to Tilbury in Essex, Mr Johnson said: “What I will say to President Putin, as I have said before, is that I think we really all need to step back from the brink.“I think that an invasion of Ukraine – any incursion into Ukraine beyond the territory that Russia has already taken in 2014 – would be an absolute disaster for the world, and above all it would be a disaster for Russia.”Mr Johnson said that any Russian invasion would be “bitterly and bloodily resisted” by the Ukrainian people.Today’s call comes as Ms Truss announces new legislation in the Commons this afternoon to widen the scope of the UK’s sanctions regime to cover Russian individuals and companies with links to the Kremlin as well as those directly involved in any intervention in Ukraine.It is not expected that the foreign secretary will announce any new sanctions today.Ahead of today’s call, Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson said: “Our aim is to continue to encourage Russia to take a diplomatic path, to de-escalate and to step back from what could be a very costly exercise if they were to follow the path of further aggression.“He has been clear at all points that pursuing that path would be extremely costly for the Russian people and it’s something we want to avoid and will continue to negotiate on.”Mr Zelensky has urged other world leaders to tone down their rhetoric about the risk of war.But the No 10 spokesperson said: “We, on our part, are seeking to reflect and shine a light on some of the approaches and tactics being used by Russia with the intention of encouraging them to step back from going any further.“That is what we are seeking to do at all costs. But the prime minister will be speaking directly to President Zelensky tomorrow.” More

Boris Johnson has been updated by Sue Gray on the results of her investigation into allegations of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street on Monday.The senior Cabinet Office official has handed over a heavily-redacted version of her report to No 10 after working to significantly pare it back following a request from the Metropolitan Police.A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Sue Gray has provided an update on her investigations to the prime minister.”The redacted findings will be published on the government website this afternoon, and Mr Johnson will provide a statement in the Commons at 3.30pm after people had the chance to “consider the findings”, Downing Street said.Mr Johnson spoke briefly with Ms Gray on Sunday ahead of the delivery of her report on lockdown parties, the PM’s official spokesman said. No 10 did not commit to publish a fuller version of her findings in future.The wording of the Cabinet Office statement suggested that the official wished to publish a longer, fuller version of the results of her inquiry after the Met completes its investigation.Earlier on Monday, Mr Johnson insisted that he “stick absolutely to what I’ve said in the past” when questioned about his reported denials of any wrongdoing over social gatherings to Conservative MPs.Ms Gray’s report was thrown into disarray when Scotland Yard last week requested that she makes only “minimal reference” to the events that officers are investigating.Asked about fears the inquiry will be a “whitewash” because of the changes, Mr Johnson said: “You are going to have to wait and see both what Sue says and of course what the Met says.”The prime minister was also questioned about reportedly telling MPs privately he thinks he has done nothing wrong.“You’re going to have to wait and see the outcome of the investigations, but of course I stick absolutely to what I’ve said in the past,” he said during a visit to a freeport in Tilbury, Essex.Questions have been looming over the future of the PM’s premiership as he awaits the findings of both the Whitehall and police inquiries into claims of lockdown-busting gatherings.Downing Street came under fire over the partygate scandal again as a senior official who worked in No 10 during the pandemic lashed out at government officials.Nikki da Costa, who was formerly Mr Johnson’s director of legislative affairs, told The Times that No 10 seemed to have “failed as a collective” to “live by the spirit and the letter of the rules” it was setting.Meanwhile, Dominic Cummings called his campaign to topple Mr Johnson “an unpleasant but necessary job” like “fixing the drains”, calling him “a complete ****wit”.The former No 10 adviser told New York magazine that Mr Johnson is obsessed with monuments in his memory “like the Roman emperors” – as he described how it is his “duty” to get rid of him.However, rebel Tories pushing for the PM’s removal fear that the last-minute police intervention will take the sting out of Ms Gray’s findings and persuade wavering MPs to hold back from submitting letters demanding a vote on his future.One strong opponent of Mr Johnson’s leadership told The Independent: “If it doesn’t come out in full, I think some will put letters in, but others will say, ‘Let’s kick the can down the road and wait for the police’.” More