Senior civil servant Sue Gray will soon set out the findings of her investigation into a series of parties in Downing Street and Whitehall that took place when COVID restrictions were in place.
Plans to publish the full report earlier this year had to be dropped after the Met Police announced on 23 January that it was launching a criminal investigation into partygate.
The force asked that only “minimal reference” be made to events under investigation when Ms Gray provided a 12-page “update” to parliament on 31 January.
She explained at the time that the police investigation had meant she was “extremely limited” in what she could say and that it was “not possible at present to provide a meaningful report” that set out all she had discovered.
But, while the interim findings lacked specific details, they were nonetheless damning. The pared-back report said Downing Street lockdown gatherings represented a “serious failure of leadership” and were “difficult to justify”.
The conclusion of the Met Police investigation – which resulted in 126 fixed penalty notices being issued to 83 people, including the prime minister and chancellor – means the full report can now be published.
The expectation is this could happen as early as the middle of next week.
Image: Sue Gray is the second permanent secretary at the Department for Levelling Up
Who is Sue Gray?
Sue Gray is a long-serving senior civil servant who is currently the second permanent secretary at the Department for Levelling Up.
Previously she spent six years as director general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office, beginning in 2012.
Former prime minister Theresa May asked her to investigate Conservative MP Damian Green over allegations he had lied about the presence of pornographic images on his Commons computer.
Ms Gray also led the so-called “plebgate” inquiry into claims that then-chief whip Andrew Mitchell had insulted police officers in Downing Street.
She was permanent secretary of the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland from 2018 to 2021, then returned to the Cabinet Office as second permanent secretary before moving to her current department.
What was she investigating?
Sue Gray was appointed to lead the inquiry last December. It came after the country’s most senior civil servant, cabinet secretary Simon Case, recused himself from overseeing the investigation after allegations that one party had taken place outside his office.
The terms of reference for the inquiry state that the “primary purpose will be to establish swiftly a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings, including attendance, the setting and the purpose, with reference to adherence to the guidance in place at the time.
“If required, the investigations will establish whether individual disciplinary action is warranted.”
In her interim findings, she said she had interviewed 70 individuals, some more than once and examined emails, WhatsApp messages, photographs, building entry logs, and other official records.
While the Met Police investigation looked at 12 events, Sue Gray’s inquiry will cover 16 that took place in 2020 and 2021, when COVID restrictions were in place.
15 May 2020 – “A photograph showing a number of groups in the garden of No 10 Downing Street.”
20 May 2020: “A gathering in the garden of No 10 Downing Street for No 10 staff.”
18 June 2020: “A gathering in the Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall on the departure of a No 10 private secretary.”
19 June 2020: “A gathering in the Cabinet room in No 10 Downing Street on the prime minister’s birthday.”
13 November 2020: “A gathering in the No 10 flat.”
13 November 2020: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a special adviser.”
27 November 2020: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a special adviser.”
10 December 2020: “A gathering in the Department for Education ahead of the Christmas break.”
15 December 2020: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street for an online Christmas quiz.”
17 December 2020: “A gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall to hold an online Christmas quiz for the Cabinet Secretary’s private office.”
17 December 2020: “A gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall on the departure of a senior Cabinet Office official.”
17 December 2020: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a No 10 official.”
18 December 2020: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street ahead of the Christmas break.”
14 January 2021: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of two No 10 private secretaries.”
16 April 2021: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of No 10 official.”
16 April 2021: “A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of another No 10 official.”
What did her interim report conclude?
The update published on 31 January concluded that “a number” of gatherings “should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did”.
The report said “some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify” and that “at least some of the gatherings 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”.
Ms Gray said she had found “failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of Number 10 and the Cabinet Office”.
She said the garden at No 10 Downing Street was used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight, and “some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so”.
She ended her report by saying: “There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across government and this does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded.”
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Key takeaways from Sue Gray report
What has happened since then?
Immediately after the publication of the interim report, Boris Johnson apologised to the Commons and promised a shake-up of No 10, insisting: “I get it and I will fix it.”
Mr Johnson said: “I want to say sorry – and I’m sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled.
“It’s no use saying this or that was within the rules and it’s no use saying people were working hard. This pandemic was hard for everyone.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer responded: “It is already clear what the report disclosed is the most damning conclusion possible.”
Days after the publication of the interim Sue Gray report, four senior Downing Street aides left their posts: chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield; director of communications, Jack Doyle; principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds; and chief policy advisor Munira Mirza.
Boris Johnson also carried out a mini reshuffle and promoted MP Steve Barclay to chief of staff and MP Andrew Griffith to head of policy. Some changes to how Number 10 and the Cabinet Office are structured have also been made.
What more can be expected in the full findings?
Senior figures in government are already anticipating a “stomach churning” report that is likely to make very uncomfortable reading for the prime minister.
Much more detail is expected on each of the 16 events she investigated. However, this will be a factual account rather than documentary evidence – such as photographs collected during the inquiry.
What is not clear is whether Sue Gray will go beyond providing a factual account of what happened and apportion blame to those who may be responsible.
Her team is contacting individuals who may be referred to in the final report, but it will not list those who attended each event.
Several Conservative MPs have said they would withhold judgement on Boris Johnson’s future until they have read the full Sue Gray report. There will be much focus on whether there are any new calls for his resignation from the Tory backbenches.
