BORIS Johnson is tonight anxiously awaiting the nation’s verdict on Sue Gray’s crunch report into pandemic parties in Downing Street.
Today he scrambled to contain a fierce backlash with a humble apology and cast-iron promise to rid the boozy behaviour in No10.
But angry Tory MPs warned he is not out of the woods just yet and are waiting for the outcome of a make-or-break police probe.
Yet some decided they had seen enough with Ms Gray’s report – and either decided to emphatically back the PM or call time on his leadership.
And although the Whitehall probe was heavily redacted, its findings could still swing Mr Johnson’s political fate.
In major developments:
- Ms Gray revealed the Met were probing 12 out of the 16 gatherings
- Scotland Yard said they have been handed 300 pics and 500 pieces of paper
- Ms Gray revealed the cops were investigating a gathering in the PM’s flat the night Dominic Cummings resigned
- Ms Gray said some staff felt too afraid to challenge the behaviour inside No10
- The PM reacted by vowing to shake-up his No10 operation
- Mr Johnson is set to rally Tory MPs at a meeting this evening
- Andrew Mitchell became the eighth Tory MP to publicly call for Mr Johnson to quit
- He will then avoid the fallout by jetting off to Ukraine tomorrow
1) 12 GATHERINGS COULD BE CRIMINAL
Until now we had no idea how many gatherings were also subject to a separate criminal probe by the Met Police.
But Ms Gray today revealed Scotland Yard were investigating 12 out of the 16 events that formed part of her probe.
Crucially, this includes a gathering in the PM’s private No10 flat on November 13, the night Dominic Cummings left Downing Street.
Wife Carrie is alleged to have hosted a victory party where guests belted out Abba hits.
Her spokesperson has strenuously denied this, while Mr Johnson has also suggested it did not happen.
That the Met are investigating the event implies they have evidence of criminality, which if proven would be damaging to the PM as at the time the country was in full lockdown.
It could also be difficult to justify an event in the PM’s private flat was a work event.
The notorious gathering to celebrate the PM’s birthday in the Cabinet Room is also being investigated by cops.
Scotland Yard said today it has 300 photos of Downing Street parties being trawled through as part of its investigation.
2) BAD NO10 WORK ENVIRONMENT
Much of Ms Gray’s report tore into the work culture inside Downing St during the pandemic.
While sympathetic to the “difficult conditions” of staff working in “tight knit” groups, the civil servant said they should have held themselves to a higher standard.
She said at times they gave “too little thought” to the Covid hardship being endured by the rest of the country.
Ms Gray also lashed the drinking culture inside Government, amid reports No10 staff wheeled in suitcases stuffed with wine bottles.
The Whitehall enforcer railed: “The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.”
She added that some No10 staff wanted to call out the behaviour “but at times felt unable to do so”, and blasted the “fragmented” leadership structures.
And the dual use of No10 as a residence and workplace blurred the lines between work and play.
The attacks on the clunky Downing Street operation, rather than the PM himself, is seen as vital breathing space for Mr Johnson to reform.
He today promised to tighten control on No10 by launching an Office of the Prime Minister and crack down on booze in the workplace.
3) WHITEWASH FEARS
MPs were today just as focused as what was NOT in the Gray report.
Ms Gray confirmed she had been forced to leave out a huge amount of her findings by order of the Met.
Dame Cressida Dick took a wrecking ball to the civil service probe by launching her own police investigation – and demanding nothing relating to it be published.
A slew of MPs from across the House today called on the PM to release the full facts once the Met probe had wrapped.
But to their fury he repeatedly refused to do so, triggering a wave of anger.
Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood warned: “If the PM fails to publish the report in full then he will no longer have my support.”
Following the backlash No10 swiftly u-turned and vowed to publish the report in full once the Yard’s inquiry had concluded.
