Sue Gray Report: Boris Johnson Faces Pressure Over Partygate Revelations

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Facts

  • Senior civil servant Sue Gray's long-awaited report on rule-breaking parties in Whitehall during COVID lockdowns has been released by the government.1
  • Her findings emphasize that 'failures of leadership and judgment' at senior levels of government created a culture of inappropriate behavior at Downing Street, including the consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol and the poor treatment of security workers and cleaners in Whitehall.2
  • The 37-page report includes new photographs of the gatherings investigated by the Met Police, names of senior civil servants who attended events in Downing Street, and in-depth details of misdemeanours at parties.3
  • At a press conference held immediately after the report's release, the PM apologized and said he had made a 'series of changes' to the internal workings of No 10 according to recommendations made in the interim version of the report published while police investigations were ongoing.1
  • The Met Police made a total of 126 referrals for Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) over events in Whitehall between May 2020 and Apr. 2021, including one to PM Boris Johnson himself for violating laws in place during lockdown.4
  • Over the weekend, it also emerged that No 10 initiated a meeting between Johnson and Gray before the report was published. Opposition leader Kier Starmer subsequently accused the government of attempting to 'undermine' the report.5

Sources: 1The Telegraph, 2Sky News, 3Guardian, 4Spectator (UK) and 5Independent.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by Daily Mail. The PM is making valiant efforts to protect the stability of the government so he can act on the cost of living crisis continuing to hit British citizens. He sincerely believed the law hadn't been broken in No 10, and although rules were violated in his absence, Johnson has expressed his regret and accepted responsibility - now is the time to move on and tackle new challenges.
  • Left narrative, as provided by Guardian. Sue Gray's report makes the double standards at the heart of government blatantly clear. While NHS workers cared for the dying and ordinary citizens put their lives on hold, frequent illegal parties were being held in No 10. Not only did officials break the law but they knew their actions were wrong, boasted that they 'got away' with it, and then lied to parliament. Johnsonian hubris must be scrubbed from the House of Commons.