Below is the full report into illegal gatherings at Downing Street during Covid lockdowns. Compiled by senior civil servant Sue Gray, its initial publication was delayed by the Met Police inquiry which led to 126 fines being issued, including one each to the prime minister and the chancellor.
Who is Sue Gray?
In May 2021 Sue returned to the Cabinet Office to take up the role of Second Permanent Secretary with responsibility for the Union and Constitution Directorate.
Prior to that from 2018 to 2021 Sue served as the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance, NI Executive on secondment from the Cabinet Office.
Sue first joined the Cabinet Office in the late 1990s.
Summary
- Sue Gray’s final report into parties in and around Downing Street during the pandemic has been published
- She says many of the events “should not have been allowed to happen” and that staff who raised concerns were not treated with respect
- Senior leadership at Downing St “must bear responsibility for this culture”, she adds
- Boris Johnson tells the Commons he takes full responsibility for everything that happened on his watch but asks MPs to “move on”
- Labour’s Keir Starmer responds by saying the Gray report shows how No 10 treated the sacrifices of the public with contempt
- WhatsApp messages reveal Martin Reynolds, a key aide to the PM, was warned of “comms risks” around some events
- He also suggested in a different message that officials had “got away with” a large event in the No 10 garden on 20 May
- A gathering in the No 10 flat after it was announced Dominic Cummings would leave government was never fully investigated by Gray, report reveals
