Boris Johnson has told Tory MPs “we’ll get through this” as he prepares to receive the long-awaited Sue Gray report into lockdown-breaking parties in Whitehall and fight for his political life.
Johnson’s allies have begun circling the wagons on a crucial day at Westminster, with one minister warning rebel Tory MPs that if they topple the prime minister they could force an unwanted early general election.
Gray, a senior civil servant charged with investigating the “partygate scandal” in Downing Street and other government departments, has completed her report. But by early Wednesday morning she had yet to hand it over to Johnson. “We haven’t had it,” a Number 10 official said.
Unless the prime minister sees the report soon, publication could slip into Thursday, adding to the febrile atmosphere in the House of Commons.
Johnson had been preparing to make a statement to MPs on the report after prime minister’s question time at noon on Wednesday, but that timetable appears to be slipping.
Westminster is awash with speculation that Gray has seen pictures of parties held during England’s Covid lockdown as well as WhatsApp messages. The Metropolitan Police announced on Tuesday it was launching its own inquiry.
One official offered an alternative view that the Gray report would be “quite thin” and would not name names of those responsible for organising the parties, leaving Johnson to draw his own conclusions.
Nevertheless, Johnson’s allies have told MPs that the prime minister will act decisively after receiving the Gray report to shake up a “drinking culture” at the heart of government and overhaul his team. A shake-up of Johnson’s Number 10 operation and the government party management operation — the whips’ office — is expected.
Gray has briefed No 10 on her report’s findings - sources
It’s been a long 24 hours. And yes, we’re continuing to wait for news about when Sue Gray’s report into parties held at No 10 during the pandemic will be published.
The latest: BBC Newsnight’s Lewis Goodall says sources have told him the senior civil servant’s report will “100%” be handed to Downing Street today.
She has briefed No 10 on what’s in it and it’s “not good news” for them, according to Goodall’s Whitehall sources.
But, but, but: This doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily see it today, and we don’t know “exactly what we’ll see when we do”, Goodall points out.
I doubt if much will ensue from the ‘report’ and as for the police now looking into the list of events, I doubt if much will ensue from that either; I believe all would be classed as misdemeanours and as the statute for those is six months, I do not expect any FPN’s to be issued. The police have left everything for far too long and this will make Boris no better than teflon Tony.
Yes, I agree, the reports won’t reflect how disgusting what he’s done was and how he’s been putting two fingers up at us who kept the rules.
The police can’t do you for thinking you’re better than the peasants and being an arrogant buffoon and the report can only state what happened, not show the contempt for us behind it.
I’m sure he’ll survive, he is Telflon, but I think he’s a disgrace and embarrassment to our country and the role of PM
Yesterday Mr Loop Hole (Nick Freemen) said that all the allegations that are over 6 months old (including Boris’ birthday) would not come to any prosecution as they are more than 6 months old and therefore outside the window of prosecution. The others look like the police would not be doing anything about and have been discharged (according to Dick of The Yard).
No partygate statement from PM as Commons adjourned for day
Over to the House of Commons now, where the chamber’s final order of business for today has concluded at 4.40pm, meaning there can be no consideration of the Sue Gray partygate report in there until Thursday at the earliest.
Deputy Commons speaker Dame Rosie Winterton said earlier that a statement, expected from the PM at some point, would not be possible once the Commons has adjourned for the evening.
She told MPs: “I have had no notice about a request for a statement.”
Asked if a statement would be possible this evening if the House has finished its business for the day, Dame Rosie said: “Once the question has been put and the House has been adjourned, it is not possible to have a statement tonight.”
I suppose the difference between Starmer and Johnson is that Starmer is a lawyer, so has spent his professional life being paid to tell lies. Johnson is merely an amateur.
Sky News understands from three government sources that, as of Wednesday afternoon, the report is yet to have been sent to Number 10 as senior civil servant Ms Gray is running it past lawyers, HR and the Metropolitan Police to make sure the document can be published in full.
This requires a delicate checking process to be carried out due to the duty of care there is to Downing Street staff who may be implicated in the report.
The Latin word implicātus, which means “folded in,” is the past participle of implicāre, meaning to interweave ideas or objects. In the 17th century, the word referred to a general entanglement in a complicated situation. By 1797, the definition had come to focus on the idea of criminal involvement, suggesting someone “folded in,” or involved, in a crime or scandal. Today, the word implicated is not necessarily tied to crime, but it’s generally negative.
The heart of government was last night said to be ‘paralysed’ as the wait for the report into the Partygate storm dragged on for another day.
Ministers complained it was growing increasingly difficult to get decisions from No 10 as Boris Johnson and senior officials awaited the outcome of the inquiry by Whitehall ethics chief Sue Gray.
The report has still not been submitted to Downing Street, leaving the Prime Minister in limbo and a string of senior officials waiting to learn their fates.
‘No 10 is completely paralysed,’ the source said. ‘There are important meetings that are not happening because the PM is too busy seeing MPs to try and shore up support. Decisions are not being taken because everyone is waiting to learn about their own futures. If it drags on it will be unsustainable.’
