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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Beth Abbit

BREAKING: Sue Gray 'partygate' report handed to Number 10

Sue Gray has provided a version of her inquiry into allegations of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street to Boris Johnson.

A Cabinet Office spokesman confirmed that the senior civil servant has handed the details to the Prime Minister this morning.

A carefully-worded statement suggested that the “update” to the Prime Minister from the senior civil servant was not the full report after she was told to pare it back by Scotland Yard.

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“We can confirm that Sue Gray has provided an update on her investigations to the Prime Minister,” they said.

Ms Gray is understood to have pared back the long-awaited report following a request from the Metropolitan Police.

The wording of the government statement suggests that the official may wish to publish a fuller-version of the results of her inquiry after the Met completes its investigation.

When questioned about his reported denials of any wrongdoing to Tory MPs, the Prime Minister insisted: “I stick absolutely to what I’ve said in the past”.

Mr Johnson is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons some time after 3.30pm on Monday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to the Tilbury Docks in Essex (PA)

Downing Street has committed to publishing the report before Mr Johnson addresses MPs, though the Cabinet Office is yet to confirm when it will be handed over and further delays cannot be ruled out.

Ms Gray’s report was thrown into disarray when Scotland Yard last week requested that she makes only “minimal reference” to events that officers are investigating.

Asked about warnings that the inquiry will be a “whitewash” because of the changes, Mr Johnson said: “You are going to have to wait and see both what Sue says and, of course, what the Met says.”

The Prime Minister has publicly said he is “deeply sorry for misjudgements” surrounding events in No 10, but insisted no one warned him a garden party in the first lockdown would be against the rules.

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick announced last week that officers have launched an investigation into alleged Covid-breaches in Downing Street and wider Government after being handed information from the Gray inquiry.

But it threw the publication of the Whitehall report into disarray when the force controversially asked Ms Gray to limit what she writes about events under investigation by officers.

Concerned over the prospect of jeopardising a police inquiry, Ms Gray was understood to have complied with the Met’s request.

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