Demands are growing for the publication of the entire Sue Gray 'partygate' report amid claims that police interference in the process will lead to a whitewash.
There has been a furious political reaction to the news that Scotland Yard has asked the senior civil servant to make “minimal reference” to the Downing Street parties it is investigating in her highly-anticipated report.
The Metropolitan Police said it had not asked for the probe to be delayed but demanded anything that could “prejudice” its inquiries be stripped out.
This means key details could be removed about events the police are examining - or the report could be delayed while the force conducts its inquiries.
Downing Street had not received the report on Friday morning as Boris Johnson waits for findings that could determine his political future.
Alistair Carmichael MP, the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, said any delay or redactions would stink of a cover-up..
The Orkney and Shetland MP said: “Any appearance of an establishment stitch-up between the Met Commissioner and the Government is profoundly damaging. "
“That’s why we called for the police to investigate Number 10 weeks ago and put this whole sorry business behind us, instead of waiting for Sue Gray.
He added: “The Sue Gray report must be published in full, including all photos, text messages and other evidence. If it is redacted now, a full, unredacted version must be published as soon as the police investigation is complete.”
SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP also demanded maximum transparency.
He said: “This cannot be another Whitewall whitewash. The Sue Gray report must be published in full and undoctored without further delay. This UK Government farce has gone on long enough.
“People are understandably concerned that this increasingly looks like a cover up."
“It is a fact that Boris Johnson broke the rules, lied about it, and misled Parliament. This is an extremely serious resignation matter – and he must be held to account.
There was also a bitter reaction from those who lost relatives to covid during lockdown.
Fran Hall, spokesperson for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families For Justice campaign group, said: “I lost my husband to Covid-19 in October 2020, he had served in the police for over 30 years.”
“All I want is to know the truth about what happened to him, just like the other hundreds of thousands of families like mine that have lost other loved ones to Covid-19, so that lessons can be learnt and we can move forward with our lives.”
“Tragically, it seems here that the Metropolitan Police have broken the trust of the public by first refusing to investigate flagrant law breaking, and now demanding any other investigations hide the most serious illegalities happening at Downing Street.
“It’s incredibly painful and they have let families like mine down. My husband was completely committed to justice, and he would have been appalled by this.”
She added: “As we predicted, the Sue Gray investigation has turned into a circus. The reality is that it’s clear that the Prime Minister broke his own laws blatantly and regularly, whilst families across the country stuck with them and suffered greatly for doing so. If he had any decency he would do the right thing and resign, but that quite clearly isn’t going to happen."
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