Boris Johnson avoided the mention of the Partygate report, as he pledged to help the UK get through the cost-of living crisis just as well as the Covid pandemic.
This afternoon the Prime Minister delivered a cheerful speech in Powys in Wales while Westminster politicians prepared for Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street crimebreaking.
Expect the release of her highly anticipated findings by this senior civil servant next week. According to reports, she is keen to identify the worst offenders. Mr Johnson confirmed today that he will not stop her.
She’s also looking into publishing some of more than 500 photos that were submitted showing activities at events and people.
In his address to the Newtown Welsh Conservatives Conference, Johnson didn’t mention the furore about the situation.
He instead repeated the claim that he made the “big decisions” during the pandemic which resulted in 178,000 deaths.
He said that, “Just like we did the toughest challenges with Covid correctly, we made the biggest calls. We will now get this country through all the post-Covid challenges, including the increasing cost of living pressures.”
“Everyone can see it all, fuel prices, price of food and energy. It’s not hard to understand the difficulty of it all.
He stated, “Ofcourse we’re going over this and markets will eventually adjust. New supply will be coming on and prices will drop again.
“For the next months, we will need to do exactly what we did in the past, and we’re going using our fiscal firepower we have built to aid.
“We will again embrace the British people as we did in Covid.”
He also attacked Labour and accused them of being “semi-repentant Corbynista loons” who were threatening the UK’s nuke deterrent.
While the Prime Minister made a positive speech in Powys (Wales), this afternoon, 200-miles away, Westminster politicians waited for Sue Gray’s report on Downing Street lawbreaking.
The Prime Minister confirmed today that he would not seek to redact any names that are put in Sue Gray,s report, during a visit to Powys, Wales
Sue Gray (pictured), demanded that the Partygate scandal ringleaders be named in her eagerly awaited report about No 10 lockdown gatherings
Parts of Sue Gray’s eagerly awaited report into No 10 parties will cause an “Oh Lord!” It will be published next week and sources claim that it will provoke an ‘Oh Lord!
Whitehall insiders claimed Miss Gray is still considering whether or not to publish the over 300 photos she took during her investigation. These included some that were taken by No 10.
Today, the Prime Minister stated that he will not attempt to remove names from Sue Gray’s report.
The Prime Minister answered a question during a trip to Powys in Wales. He said that it would be up to Sue Gray to answer the questions. I look forward to hearing her thoughts and fingers crossed she will have it next week.
The senior civil servant is having trouble finishing the report because Scotland Yard refuses to reveal the names of the 83 individuals who were each fined 126.
Ms Gray would like to point fingers at over a dozen people for 16 Whitehall events but is having trouble coping with the Met Police’s secrecy.
MailOnline was told by a former minister that Mr Johnson had been critical in the past. It is possible for Ms Gray to do a “kamikaze job”.
The MP stated that it is more probable she won’t direct criticize the PM, with the primary threat being the Privileges committee probe.
“Sue Gray” is a career civil servant It won’t seem too harsh if she criticizes him.
I think she understands the runes. Her knowledge is that Boris’ greatest problem is not Boris, but the Committee on Privileges.
She said, “If he was going to die by hanging I think it would be best for him that he be hanged from the committee.”
The most shocking revelations include the ending of a Cabinet Office party with a boozy brawl. According to sources, many of the revelations would cause people to think “Oh Lord!” They had been secretly kept up to now.
Sources with knowledge of the discussions told the Telegraph she was in discussions with the Civil Service human resources, legal teams and unions to see how much she can assign blame to individuals.
The woman said that she was afraid she might be forced to hide certain names from the general public.
Downing Street said today that she will make the final call on who to identify from Whitehall and Downing Street lockdown parties.
Reporters were told by a spokesperson for the Prime Minister that Sue Gray was compiling her report on her own and she is responsible for its content and presentation.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab today said there should be ‘transparency’ about any ministers who have been fined.
When asked if Downing Street wanted to stop the senior civil servant publishing names in her report on social events at Downing Street under pandemic lockdown restrictions she replied that it was Ms Gray and the police.
He said, “I believe that these matters are matters for Sue Gray or the Met.”
“What we said was that transparency is necessary around fines for ministers. It’s an excellent idea.
The report will likely be published either on Tuesday or Wednesday and may contain as many as 36 pages.
According to a source, Miss Gray’s Report would be less damning than Mr Johnson’s most vocal critics.
Whitehall insiders said Miss Gray was still ‘weighing up’ whether to publish some of the more than 300 photographs she gathered during her investigation, including some taken by No 10’s official photographer.
A former director of public prosecutions today said the public ‘remain very much in the dark’ about the details of Partygate.
Questioned about fines for junior workers for instances for which the Prime Minster was not penalized, Lord Macdonald stated that without an explanation from the police, it is very hard for us to grasp why they arrived at the conclusions they reached.
He stated that it wasn’t known why Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, was punished for attending one party but not another.
“We don’t really know the identities of these individuals, so I feel sorry for them. I can see how they might be upset by being named, but it’s in the public’s best interest.
“This was an enormous scandal at Government’s heart, in civil service. We remain very unsure about who was involved and how they organized it.
“Of course, the Prime Minister is ultimately responsible. But there were clearly other people involved and we don’t even know their names. That’s unacceptable.
Miss Gray, it is believed, will give an accurate account of every gathering including who was there and how they ended up. The police investigated 12 of her investigations, and four other events.
Whitehall mandarin Will also elaborate on the comments she made earlier in the year, when she noted that different sections of No10 (and Cabinet Office) had failed to exercise leadership or use judgment.
Miss Gray wasn’t allowed to publish all of her findings because Scotland Yard began its own investigation on January.
As she finishes final touches on her project this weekend, she will likely consult with lawyers and HR managers.
Boris Johnson will make a statement for the Commons. No 10 has also committed to publishing the entire document in its entirety as soon as it is completed.
Miss Gray, along with her Cabinet Office team, interviewed more than 70 individuals, including Prime Minister David Cameron, to complete her inquiry. She also reviewed emails, WhatsApp and text messages.
After being asked by the police to only make’minimal references’ to the events, she was obliged to release a reduced version of her January report.
After a December video of Downing Street employees laughing about rule-breaking parties, the Prime Minister ordered an inquiry.
Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary was asked by him to “establish all facts” about the incident. However, Mr Case had to step down as the chief investigator after ten days of the discovery that a meeting was being held at his office.
Downing Street Garden Party attended by Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds, as well as staff
Miss Gray was appointed his replacement. Later, the inquiry was expanded to cover other events like a virtual Christmas quiz at No10 and leaving-dos for several aids.
According to the terms of reference, the inquiry’s primary purpose was to “establish quickly a general understanding about the nature of the gatherings including attendance and purpose with reference to the existing guidance at the time.”
Miss Gray, who was once the Cabinet Office’s head of ethics, earned a reputation as a fearsome figure among officials and ministers.
She handled complaints against ministers, which effectively ended Andrew Mitchell and Damian Green’s careers as ministers.
Apart from a brief career break – to run a pub in Newry, Northern Ireland – she has worked in Whitehall for more than 20 years.
David Laws, a former minister said that it took him exactly two years to realize who is running Britain. Sue Gray, the lady who runs our wonderful United Kingdom, is in fact all of it. These things don’t happen without her consent.