UK Politics

A heavily-censored version of the Sue Gray report into allegations of lockdown-breaching parties at 10 Downing Street is to be presented to Boris Johnson “shortly”, The Independent has learnt.A source close to the investigation team said that, in line with the requests of Scotland Yard, the report will be stripped of details which the Metropolitan Police fear could compromise their separate inquiry into potential criminal behaviour.Police this evening promised they will complete their investigations “promptly” and will be writing to all those identified by Ms Gray’s team “as having potentially breached (Covid) regulations”.No date has been set for the redacted report to be passed to the prime minister, but it is understood that members of the Cabinet Office inquiry team are working through the weekend to finalise the document. It will be handed over as soon as the process is complete, and almost certainly within the next week.Downing Street has promised to publish the report “as soon as possible”, in the form it receives it from Ms Gray. And Mr Johnson will then make a statement to the House of Commons and face a grilling by MPs.The decision not to delay the report revives the prospect of an imminent confidence vote to remove Mr Johnson as Conservative leader, which would be triggered by letters from 54 Tory MPs. Many MPs have said they are waiting for Ms Gray’s report to decide whether to submit a letter to 1922 Commitee chair Sir Graham Brady.The PM would then need the votes of half the parliamentary party – some 180 MPs – to retain his position.However, rebel Tories fear that the removal of references to the most contentious Downing Street gatherings may take the sting out of the Gray report, prompting wavering MPs to withhold their judgement on the PM’s behaviour until the police probe is completed.There was fury on Friday morning when police announced that they had asked Ms Gray’s team to remove all but “minimal” information about the events covered by the criminal inquiry. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announced on Tuesday that she was launching an investigation into what appeared to be “serious and flagrant” breaches of lockdown rules for which there was little likelihood of a persuasive defence. She made clear that the inquiry would not include all 15 reported events considered by Ms Gray, but has not identified which will be investigated.Liberal Democrats warned of an “establishment stitch-up”, while the Scottish National Party said that the Partygate scandal must not be covered up with “Whitehall whitewash”.In a statement on Friday evening, the Met insisted it had “not delayed” the Gray report and said the timing of its release was a matter for the Cabinet Office.Commander Catherine Roper said officers will now examine all the material from Ms Gray “in detail to establish whether individuals attending the events in question may have breached the regulations”.The senior officer – who leads the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command – said the force would conduct inquiries “without fear or favour” and would be writing to those identified by Ms Gray’s team “as having potentially breached these regulations”. More

The Metropolitan Police pledged to complete its investigation into alleged breaches of Covid rules at government gatherings “promptly” after receiving material requested from Sue Gray’s team on Friday.Scotland Yard also insisted it had “not delayed” the report by the senior civil servant into the partygate scandal, and said the timing of the Gray report’s release was a matter for the Cabinet Office.The statement came as it emerged said that a heavily-censored version of the Gray report into allegations of lockdown-breaching parties at 10 Downing Street will be presented to Boris Johnson “shortly”.A source close to the investigation team told The Independent that – in line with the requests from Scotland Yard – the report will be stripped of details that officers fear could compromise their separate inquiry.Commander Catherine Roper said officers would now examine all the material from Ms Gray “in detail to establish whether individuals attending the events in question may have breached the regulations”.The senior officer – who leads the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command – said the force would conduct inquiries “without fear or favour” and would be writing to those identified by Ms Gray’s team “as having potentially breached these regulations”. Ms Roper also confirmed that the offences under investigation, where proven, would normally result “in the issuing of a fixed penalty notice” – ruling out speculation officers could be looking at more serious offences.Explaining why the Met had asked Ms Gray’s team for “minimal reference” to events subject to its own probe, Ms Roper said it was necessary “in order to protect the integrity of the police investigation” and “to be as fair as possible to those who are subject to it”.The senior Met figure added: “This will only be necessary until these matters are concluded and is to give detectives the most reliable picture of what happened at these events. We intend to complete our investigations promptly, fairly and proportionately.”The force previously argued the constraints on the Cabinet Office report into “partygate” were necessary to “avoid any prejudice to our investigation”. The new statement, issued on Friday evening, contains no mention of the term “prejudice”.Ms Roper added: “We have not delayed this report and the timing of its release is a matter for the Cabinet Office inquiry team.”Officers leading the probe are understood to be concerned that they will not be able to investigate effectively if key details and pieces of evidence, such as photos, are released to the general public.Met chief Dame Cressida Dick announced the investigation on Tuesday, after weeks of pressure, as the force insisted it would only investigate if it received evidence of potential criminal offences from the Cabinet Office.In the latest statement, Ms Roper said that “where there is sufficient evidence that individuals have breached the regulations without reasonable excuse, officers will decide if enforcement action is appropriate”.She added: “If the decision is to take enforcement action then a report will be sent to the ACRO Criminal Records Office which will issue the fixed penalty notice. Recipients can pay the fixed penalty and the matter will be considered closed.” More

UK arms manufacturers have been hit by long delays in attempts to export weapons overseas because of Brexit red tape, a leading trade body has told MPs.The Engineering and Machinery Alliance (EMA) said some firms are “waiting for up to six months” for government licences to export into the EU – despite the target time for approval being two weeks. Jack Semple, director of policy at the alliance, told MPs on the international trade committee that the industry blames the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) for failing to anticipate time-consuming Brexit red tape. “The ECJU’s target for granting or rejecting license applications is two weeks, but firms report waiting for up to six months,” he said in written evidence. “Firms have lost not only specific orders but also suffered reputational damage, undermining their export potential.”Mr Semple called on the government to introduce “new, more efficient systems”, adding: “We are a smart nation, full of smart people – we can do better.” The Scottish National Party’s (SNP) Angus MacNeil, chair of the international trade committee, said the shipment delays was “symptomatic of the lack of preparedness” for Brexit.Calling the UK’s exit from the EU “a project of bluster”, Mr MacNeil added: “There’s almost no sector untouched … Brexit is an economic disaster affecting everybody.”Labour MP Nick Thomas-Symonds, shadow international trade secretary, said that “given how much time, public money and preparation went into our withdrawal from the EU, you would have thought that ministers would have had some more foresight and planned for this.”The frontbencher added: “It’s staggering that the government’s export unit did not anticipate that extra resources would be needed to process licences for exports to the EU from the UK.“Ministers need to get a grip and ensure they get export licenses out to business as soon as possible.”A trade department spokesperson told Politico – which first reported on the hold-ups – that the ECJU “processes license applications as quickly as possible, striving to conclude 70 per cent of standard individual export license applications within 20 working days and 99 percent within 60 working days”.The spokesperson added: “Due to the robustness of our export controls regime, some destinations remain more challenging and will take longer than our target times to complete.”It comes as retailers and hauliers warned that British shoppers could see less choice of food and steep price increases as EU suppliers shun the UK over customs controls brought into force on 1 January.James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food and Drink, said export controls introduced in 2021 had been “terminal” to some UK food businesses’ EU sales. “The same may happen under the new UK import controls brought in this year. Some EU businesses may decide there are just easier places to do business than the UK,” he said.Meanwhile, the Unite union said this week that the Brexit customs controls were causing significant delays at the port of Dover – with each driver taking 10 to 20 minutes to clear checks.Adrian Jones, Unite’s national officer for road transport, told The Independent: “The queues and the delays are only going to get longer as both tourism and commercial trade pick up in the weeks ahead.”Greater disruption has been reported at the French port of Calais because of additional red tape needed for imports from the EU into the UK since the start of January. More

The government is to hike student loan repayments by around £150 a year in real terms, by freezing the repayment salary threshold. The announcement means graduates with student loans will see more cash taken out of their payslips every month – on top of other planned tax and bill rises.Michelle Donelan, the higher education minister, said the change would make sure the university funding system was providing “value for money for all of society at a time of rising costs”.The announcement was made in a written statement slipped out to parliament on Friday after MPs had gone home from Westminster to their constituencies. The practice is common for government announcements where ministers want to avoid parliamentary scrutiny.Under the changes the repayment threshold for plan 2 students will be frozen at the previous 2021-22 level of £27,295 per year, £2,274 a month, or £524 a week.For plan 3 students the threshold will also be unchanged at £21,000 per year, £1,750 a month or £404 a week for financial year 2022-23. The thresholds freeze sits against annual inflation soaring to 5.4 per cent in December. Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank, said the policy announcement amounted to a “6 or 7 per cent real terms reduction and hence a real terms increase in repayments of circa £150 a year on graduates with student loans”.The freeze will hit around the same time as the government is planning to hike national insurance contributions (NICs) and raise rail fares by record levels – the latter linked to inflation.It will also follow a controversial cut to universal credit (UC) and skyrocketing winter heating and energy bills.Announcing the change in the written statement, Ms Donelan said: “Maintaining the repayment threshold at its current level, alongside the ongoing freeze in fees, will help to ensure the sustainability of the student loan system, while keeping higher education open to everyone who has the ability and the ambition to benefit from it, including the most disadvantaged.” More

Police fear that their investigation into alleged breaches of Covid laws in Downing Street could be hindered if key evidence is released in the Sue Gray report, The Independent understands.Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday that it had asked for “minimal reference to be made” to the events it is investigating.“The Met did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice to our investigation,” a statement added.A source told The Independent the position was not new, but had not previously been made public.Officers leading the probe are concerned that they will not be able to investigate effectively if key details and pieces of evidence, such as photos, are released to the general public.It would mean that suspects may know what is held against them before being interviewed.The source said Scotland Yard is not seeking to influence parts of the Cabinet Office report covering events that are not under criminal investigation, and has only asked for “reasonable adjustments”.They said the Metropolitan Police has no objection to it being published, as long as it does not disclose evidence that will hinder its probe.The force has not yet disclosed which of the numerous alleged Whitehall and Downing Street parties it is investigating, but The Independent understands the Cabinet Office report will make the distinction clear.Criminal barrister Andrew Keogh said it was normal for police to control what information is disclosed to suspects during investigations.“In most cases you only have to disclose what’s necessary,” he told The Independent. “The more you put into the public domain, the more you give someone a heads up and the thinking time to provide an explanation.”Mr Keogh said there was no “legal impediment” to the Gray report fully publishing evidence, but that it would be unusual for a civil servant to turn down requests from the police.“If she accepts as a proposition that she may make the investigation harder, and make suspects’ lives easier, it would be a bizarre response from a public servant to refuse a request,” he added.Cressida Dick confirms ‘Met is now investigating’ Downing Street partygate allegationsThe barrister also cautioned that existing press reports and anonymous witness accounts are unlikely to reach the threshold needed for evidence in a criminal case, and that police may have to do substantial additional work to use the material.Mr Keogh said the Metropolitan Police’s position was “absolutely normal but given how they ended up being dragged kicking and screaming into this case, they open up space for conspiracy theories”.Several other legal experts questioned the difficulties that could be caused by the Cabinet Office publishing full detail of all incidents.There was initial confusion at the meaning of the word “prejudice” in the Metropolitan Police’s statement, which can refer to influencing juries. Jury trial is not possible for the Covid offences under investigation.Nick Aldworth, a former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent, said the report could prejudice the police investigation “by disclosing the evidence that they will gather and thereby giving the potential defendants an opportunity to conceal or alter evidence”. Barrister Matthew Scott wrote on Twitter: “Police should never want witnesses to be told what other witnesses have said, or certainly not in detail.”Anonymous author Secret Barrister commented: “Whatever the reason, it is an unedifying look for the Met to refuse to investigate despite clear evidence of criminality, then to subcontract the function to a civil servant, and then to frantically try to stem the flow of information when they change their minds.”Dame Cressida Dick announced the investigation on Tuesday, after weeks of mounting pressure as the force insisted it would only investigate if it received evidence of potential criminal offences from the Cabinet Office.The commissioner said the investigation was triggered “as a result firstly of information provided by the Cabinet Office inquiry team and secondly my officers’ own assessment”.Scotland Yard said Ms Gray’s team had provided “outline findings” from its inquiry in previous days, and that it had formally requested all relevant evidence.Its probe is currently focused on whether various events broke the health protection regulations that were in force at the time, and changed frequently through the pandemic.Dame Cressida told the London Assembly that fixed penalty notices, which varied between £100 and £10,000 in the period covered depending on a person’s role in an illegal gathering, would not “necessarily be issued in every instance and to every person involved”.Fines have been the main method of enforcing Covid laws throughout the pandemic, and were used as a “last resort” according to police guidance, but people can be prosecuted for offences and handed larger penalties if they refuse to pay. 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Downing Street has denied any role in the Metropolitan Police’s dramatic decision to block the release of all but “minimal” information about No 10 parties during lockdown.And a No 10 spokesperson said it was “not at all” the case that Boris Johnson is pleased that the intervention by Scotland Yard could delay the full release of Sue Gray’s report by weeks or months.The police move was today described as “disproportionate” by a former director of public prosecutions, who said it could have the “grave” consequence of delaying the resolution of a significant scandal.Liberal Democrats have warned that any appearance of an “establishment stitch-up” between government and police to cover up wrong-doing would be “profoundly damaging”.And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for the Gray report to be published in full as soon as possible, warning the government had been thrown into “paralysis” by continuing uncertainty.The publication of the Whitehall mandarin’s report into alleged breaches of Covid regulations has been thrown into doubt by police insistence on removing details relating to events which are covered by their separate criminal investigation.No 10 today said it was unable to say when the Gray report will now be published or how complete it would be.But a spokesperson said it was not the case that Downing Street put any pressure on either the police or Cabinet Office to halt publication, which had been expected earlier this week. And he said he was “not aware” of any direct contact between No 10 and the Met on the issue.Asked if No 10 asked the investigatory team to check with the Met whether publication would cut across its inquiries, the spokesperson said: “No. The terms of reference clearly set out that the Cabinet Office would keep in contact with the Metropolitan Police.”It’s an independent investigation. We haven’t been privy to the details of the investigation or any of its content… We are not involved in these conversations.”Asked if Mr Johnson would be pleased at the prospect of the findings on his handling of the partygate affair being kicked into the long grass, the spokesperson replied: “No, not at all. We appreciate it is independent work. “The prime minister said earlier this week that it’s entirely right for the police to investigate these matters and they should be given time and space to do that.”Former DPP Ken Macdonald – now a crossbench peer – told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “The risk of the police intervention this morning is that this leaves things hanging in the air for weeks and months. And that seems, obviously not to be in the public interest.“To take the grave step of delaying a report which is going to shed public light on the subject matter of what may be a major public scandal, I think is undesirable and I think it may be a misjudgment. If we are simply talking about lockdown breaches and fixed penalty notices, this move by the police seems to be disproportionate.”Sir Keir said: “The government is paralysed because of the prime minister’s behaviour in Downing Street and the attempts of his cabinet to save his skin.“The Gray report must be published in full as soon as possible and the police have to get on with their investigation. But Britain faces huge challenges as we emerge from the pandemic and it is offensive that the government’s sole focus is on cleaning up after themselves.“The country deserves better. Boris Johnson is unfit for office and must resign.” Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “A stitch-up between the Met leadership and No 10 will damage our politics for generations and it looks like it is happening right in front of our eyes.”And the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: “People are understandably concerned that this increasingly looks like a cover-up.“This cannot be another Whitewall whitewash. There must be maximum transparency.” More

‘I really don’t know’: MP Thérèse Coffey unaware of when Sue Gray report will be publishedThe 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”. Show latest update

1643381104Corruption experts warn Boris Johnson’s government is worst since WWIIBoris 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: Rory Sullivan28 January 2022 14:451643380804Met police move ‘disproportionate’, says former prosecutions chiefLord 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.”Adam Forrest28 January 2022 14:401643379849Watch: Raising national insurance ‘wrong’, says StarmerRaising National Insurance in April is ‘wrong thing to do’, says StarmerRory Sullivan28 January 2022 14:241643379664Downing Street denies involvement in police decision on partygate reportNo 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: Rory Sullivan28 January 2022 14:211643378584Sturgeon 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: Rory Sullivan28 January 2022 14:031643377504Public support national insurance rise, Downing Street claims 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.”Rory Sullivan28 January 2022 13:451643376372Bereaved 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.Laurie Churchman28 January 2022 13:261643375507Tory 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: Rory Sullivan28 January 2022 13:111643374488Tory 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.” Laurie Churchman28 January 2022 12:541643373457How 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.Laurie Churchman28 January 2022 12:37 More

Experts have warned that Boris Johnson’s administration is more corrupt “than any UK government since the Second World War”.Researchers at Sussex University’s Centre for the Study Corruption warned that the “absolute failure of integrity at No 10” could have potentially serious consequences for the UK if allowed to fester.It comes as opposition figures warned of the “appearance of an establishment stitch-up” over an inquiry into rule-breaking at Downing Street.The Metropolitan Police on Friday said it had asked civil servant Sue Gray to remove key details of potential illegality from her long-awaited report into the Partygate scandal – citing a need not to prejudice its own separate investigation.The development means some aspects of behaviour at Downing Street may not be made public at a key moment of political danger for the PM – and even raises the prospect that some facts might never see the light of day at all.Robert Barrington, Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice at the Centre for the Study of Corruption in the University of Sussex said: “There is more corruption and corruption risk in and around this government than any UK government since the Second World War. “The PM has direct influence on this through personal example and through what he allows amongst his Ministers and No. 10 staff. “There has been an absolute failure of integrity at No 10 which has consequences for democracy and Britain’s global influence – and longer term, if unchecked, for the economy and national security. “The enablers of this are any MPs or Ministers that allow the failure of integrity to go unchecked. But – although standards have slipped, they can still be restored, if there is the political will to do so.”The latest row over the Partygate inquiry came just 48 hours after new evidence suggested that the prime minister misled the public over his role prioritising the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan last year. He had previously denied any involvement.The prime minister has also found himself embroiled in a scandal over private donors financing a lavish refurbishment of his private Downing Street flat.And last year the government was forced to back down after it moved to abolish a standards watchdog which had recommended mild sanctions against a Tory MP who broke lobbying rules.Dr Sam Power, a lecturer in corruption analysis at the anti-corruption centre, said: “We didn’t really need a detailed inquiry to know what Partygate is. Either having a party, or indeed a work event, is in blatant contravention of the rules as written, and the commonly understood way in which the British public was expected to behave during the height of the pandemic. “Partygate is indicative of Johnson’s reckless approach to the rules and the kind of behaviour that the public expects of those in the highest office. “Whilst this cavalier approach to ethics is, in part, baked into his wider electoral appeal his standing is now damaged beyond repair with the British people. “Whether Conservatives decide Gray’s report is enough to warrant a change of leadership, is an open question. But his standing is now so damaged with the voters that MPs may well consider if one of Johnson’s core strengths, his electability, is now a fatal weakness. To many, the joke simply isn’t funny anymore, if it ever really was.”The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group on Friday said the the investigation into No 10 lockdown parties was becoming “circus”. 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.Tory MP Roger Gale meanwhile described the latest development as a “farce created in Scotland Yard”, while Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said the proceedings risked giving the “appearance of an establishment stitch-up”.”First the police were waiting for Sue Gray, now Sue Gray has to wait for the police?” he said.”Any appearance of an establishment stitch-up between the Met Commissioner and the Government is profoundly damaging. Police officers need the trust and confidence of the public to do their jobs and keep our communities safe.”That’s why we called for the police to investigate Number 10 weeks ago and put this whole sorry business behind us, instead of waiting for Sue Gray.”The Sue Gray report must be published in full, including all photos, text messages and other evidence. If it is redacted now, a full, unredacted version must be published as soon as the police investigation is complete.” More