Boris Johnson faces tough questions from Tory MPs as Sue Gray report finds ‘serious failure’

British prime minister Boris Johnson faced harsh questions from Conservative MPs, including his predecessor Theresa May, on Monday after it emerged that a party in his Downing Street flat during lockdown is one of 12 gatherings being investigated by police.

The news of the extent of the police investigation was contained in senior civil servant Sue Gray’s redacted report into the “partygate” allegations of rule-breaking, lockdown-busting gatherings in Number 10 Downing Street and Whitehall, which was published earlier on Monday afternoon.

Ms Gray, a cabinet office official, said she could not publish her full report into the gatherings she was examining because the Metropolitan Police was investigating all but four of the events she was looking into.

“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,” she said in the report, which she described as an “update” on her inquiry.

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“At least 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.”

In her report Ms Gray criticised a culture of alcohol consumption in Downing Street and said there were failures of leadership by different parts of Number 10 and the cabinet office at different times.

“Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did,” she said.

The civil service chief said she had interviewed more than 70 people and examined relevant email information, WhatsApp messages, photographs and exit logs. She said some staff had “wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so”.

The 12 gatherings being investigated by police include a gathering in the Downing Street flat in November 13th, 2020, on the night Mr Johnson’s former aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain left their roles, and an event to mark Mr Johnson’s birthday in June 2020.

Apology

In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Johnson said he was sorry “for the things we simply did not get right” and for the way the matter has been handled. He said he would change how Downing Street is organised by creating a new government department, the Office of the Prime Minister, with a permanent secretary in charge.

He promised to strengthen cabinet government, to improve relations between Downing Street and parliament and to review the codes of conduct for civil servants and special advisers. But he refused to answer questions about the parties in Downing Street, including whether he was at the event in his own flat being investigated by police, insisting that MPs must wait for the outcome of the police investigation.

Ms May said that coronavirus regulations had imposed significant restrictions on the freedoms of members of the public.

“They had a right to expect their prime minister to have read the rules, to understand the meaning of the rules and indeed those around him to have done so too and to set an example in following those rules. What the Gray report does show is that Number 10 Downing Street was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public, so either my right honourable friend had not read the rules or didn’t understand what they meant and others around him, or they didn’t think the rules applied to Number 10. Which was it?” she said.

Labour leader Keir Starmer described the prime minister as a man without shame who damaged everyone and everything around him. Sir Keir challenged Conservative MPs to ask themselves what they were going to do about a leader whose dishonesty and lack of decency were at odds with the country’s democratic values.

“They can go on degrading themselves. Eroding trust in politics. And insulting the sacrifice of the British public. They can heap their reputations, the reputation of their party, and the reputation of this country, on the bonfire that is his leadership. Or they can spare the country from a prime minister totally unworthy of his responsibilities. It is their duty to do so,” he said.

British police will contact people with questions about suspected Downing Street lockdown parties within weeks, the commander overseeing the police investigation said on Monday. “We had a bundle of material provided to us just Friday which is well over 500 pieces of paper, about a ream and a half, and over 300 photographs,” commander Catherine Roper told reporters.

The wording of “update” rather than “report” suggested the document Mr Johnson received is some way from the full findings gathered by Ms Gray.

– Additional reporting: Guardian/PA/Reuters

Key findings of the Gray report

These are the most critical findings of the Sue Gray report, published under the heading "general findings":

– “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.

– “At least 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.

– “At times 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. There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of Number 10 and the cabinet office at different times. 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 excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time. Steps must be taken to ensure that every government department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”

Under “methodology”, Gray writes:

– “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.

– “I did consider whether it would be better to pause, as provided for in the terms of reference, and wait until the conclusion of the police investigation before publishing anything. However, given the widespread public interest in, and concern about, these matters, and to avoid further delay, I am providing an update on the investigation and I am setting out some general findings now.”