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Sue Gray report: Partygate inquiry is finally published in full in crunch day for Boris Johnson’s leadership

Boris Johnson's future hangs in the balance once more as Tory MP's decide whether to manoeuvre against the Prime Minister following the report's damning claims

Sue Gray today delivered a damning verdict on Boris Johnson’s leadership and said he must bear responsibility for the Partygate scandal.

A string of explosive revelations were revealed in the report today including that the Prime Minister’s former Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds had bragged in a Whatsapp group about “getting away with” holding a drinks event during lockdown.

It also emerged that an alleged party in the Downing Street flat, allegedly hosted by Carrie Johnson, was never fully investigated.

The senior civil servant’s 60-page document, which included nine images, repeated her conclusions made in the interim report that described the gatherings as a “failure of leadership and judgement” by No 10 and the Cabinet Office.

She noted that the attendance of senior leaders led junior staffers to believe they were not breaking the rules and hit out at those in charge.

“The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture,” Ms Gray wrote.

The report also revealed:

  • Someone was sick and a fight broke out an event on 18 June 2020
  • Nine photos were released, showing the PM drinking with groups of people inside Downing Street
  • Lee Cain, the PM’s then-head of communications, warned that the infamous BYOB party in May 2020 would be a “comms risk” – rather than a breach of covid rules
  • Attendees partied until 4.20am on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral

It comes following reports that those issued with Fixed Penalty Notices by the Metropolitan Police were mostly junior members of staff in Downing Street.

The senior civil servant also condemned the treatment of security and cleaning staff after being made aware of “multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment”.

“This was unacceptable,” she said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson raises a can of what appears to be Estrella beer on his birthday in Downing Street, 19 June 2020. (Photo: Sue Gray report/ Cabinet Office/ PA)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson raises a can of what appears to be Estrella beer on his birthday in Downing Street, 19 June 2020. (Photo: Sue Gray report/ Cabinet Office/ PA)

Ms Gray went onto detail each of the events in turn.

She gave a damning description of an event held on 18 June 2020 – reportedly a gathering in the Cabinet Office to mark the departure of a Number 10 private secretary – which included “excessive alcohol consumption”, an individual being sick and “a minor altercation between two other individuals”.

The infamous BYOB (bring your own booze) party in the garden of No 10 Downing Street featured over four pages of the report, and included a number of highly damaging Whatsapp messages.

Then Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds sent an email round to about 200 No 10 staffers inviting them to the event, intended to boost staff morale following a challenging period.

Ms Gray’s report reveals that the No 10 official was warned the event posed a ‘comms risk’ by Mr Cain – who was the PM’s head of communications a tthe time.

Mr Cain said: “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.”

Following the event, which was attended by between 30-40 people Mr Reynolds received an email from a No 10 special adviser which read: “Hi Martin, Thank you so much for organising these drinks and for providing the wine! A very kind thing to do and I know everyone really appreciated it.”

The event was later referenced in a Whatsapp message from Mr Reynolds to a special adviser: “Best of luck – a complete non story but better than them focusing on our drinks (which we seem to have got away with).”

EDITORS NOTE IMAGE REDACTED AT SOURCE Handout photo dated 19/06/20issued by the Cabinet Office showing Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) at a gathering in the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street on his birthday, which has been released with the publication of Sue's Gray report into Downing Street parties in Whitehall during the coronavirus lockdown. Issue date: Wednesday May 25, 2022. PA Photo. The full publication into the parties was sidelined during Operation Hillman, the Metropolitan Police's inquiry into the gatherings. The force concluded its investigation on May 19, with 126 fines being issued in total to 83 people. See PA story POLITICS Johnson. Photo credit should read: Sue Gray Report/Cabinet Office/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
A photo issued by the Cabinet Office showing Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) at a gathering in the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street on his birthday(Photo: Sue Gray Report/Cabinet Office/ Provider: PA)

Details of the two leaving dos on 16 April 2021 – the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral – were also heavily damning.

The report said that when custodians requested they leave building, James Slack’s drinks merged with another do with wine, dancing & “excessive” drinking.

Someone broke the PM’s garden swing and the last members of staff left at 4.20am.

Other revelations include the fact that an alleged party in the Downing Street flat was never fully investigated.

On 13 November 2020, the day Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain left No 10, the PM’s wife Carrie Johnson was accused of hosting an ‘Abba party’ to celebrate Mr Cumming’s departure.

The report said: “The information collected on this gathering is limited as the process of obtaining evidence had only just been commenced when the Metropolitan police announced their own investigations, which included events on the 13 November 2020.

“At this point I stopped my investigation, given the need to avoid any prejudice to the police investigation.

“Following the Metropolitan Police announcement on 19 May 2022 I considered whether or not to conduct any further investigation into this event but concluded it was not appropriate or proportionate to do so.”

Her conclusion suggested it was unacceptable for the Government to be breaking the rules they themselves had set out.

“Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of Government,” she wrote.

“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.”

But she said the behaviour in No 10 during the pandemic “did not reflect the prevailing culture in Government” at the time. 

Ms Gray noted that “nothing set out in this report can be taken as constituting a disciplinary investigation”.

Her long-awaited report comes after having been delayed by four months due to the Metropolitan Police’s separate probe.

Scotland Yard’s investigation concluded last week with 126 fines being issued to 83 people, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

Her initial findings into the string of lockdown breaking parties were published at the end of January but were scant on detail, though it still proved to be damning as the senior civil servant.

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Mr Johnson’s allies fear the critical nature of the report will prompt a flurry of Tory MPs to submit letters of no confidence.

The findings of the report are likely to further shatter the public’s confidence in Boris Johnson after photographs showed him raising a glass and surrounded by colleagues and wine bottles during England’s second national lockdown.

A source present at the leaving drinks told i that it was the Prime Minister himself who instigated the party, which was called to mark the departure of Lee Cain from No 10, the former Director of Communications.

The revelation will place further pressure on the PM over claims he misled parliament, after he later insisted ‘rules were followed’ at all times on the night of the leaving bash.

It also comes after Mr Johnson day faced fresh accusations that he suggested Ms Gray should drop her report during a meeting with him earlier this month, according to The Times.

The paper quoted a Whitehall source, saying: ‘He asked her, is there much point in doing it now that it’s all out there?’

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has dismissed the reports and told Sky News: “Sometimes, occasionally things get reported which aren’t entirely accurate.”

This story is being updated…

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