Boris Johnson "must bear responsibility" for the culture of Covid rule breaking in Downing Street during lockdown, a scathing report by top civil servant Sue Gray has concluded.
Her report, published this morning, found that "failures of leadership and judgment in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office" resulted in regular gatherings that were "not in line with Covid guidance at the time".
Ms Gray said there were "multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff" by those attending the gatherings. The report, which is packed with messages and nine photos said junior officials felt "permitted" to attend rule-breaking events that "should not have been allowed to happen" because "senior leaders" took part.
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Ms Gray added: "Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of Government. The public have a right to expect the very highest standards of behaviour in such places and clearly what happened fell well short of this."
Ms Gray's report details a number of events that took place over the last two years, one - a leaving do held in June 2020 - lays bare the extent the rule breaking. Dozens of staff attended the event in the Cabinet Office where, the report states: "Some brought pizza and prosecco and they were followed by others, over the next couple of hours.
"Helen MacNamara, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, attended for part of the evening and provided a karaoke machine which was set up in an adjoining office to the waiting room.
"The event lasted for a number of hours. There was excessive alcohol consumption by some individuals. One individual was sick. There was a minor altercation between two other individuals."
At another event, held in April 2021, it was found that a number of Downing Street staff "drank excessively" at another leaving party. Her report states, that despite being asked to leave by Number 10 security, "some individuals remained in the building and carried on drinking alcohol until the early hours.
"Exit logs indicate that some left after midnight and others between 01.45-02.45. Two members of staff stayed later still, with one leaving at 03.11 and the last leaving at 04:20."
On another occasion, former communications chief Lee Cain warned Boris Johnson's Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds and Dominic Cummings that a Bring Your Own Booze party on May 20 2020 was “somewhat of a comms risk” and urged for the event to be cancelled.
According to Ms Gray's report, Mr Cain sent an email to Mr Cummings and Mr Reynolds which said: “I’m sure it will be fine – and I applaud the gesture – but a 200 odd person invitation for drinks in the garden of no 10 is somewhat of a comms risk in the current environment.” The event went ahead, and Mr Reynolds later boasted in a WhatsApp message “we seem to have got away with” the BYOB garden party.
The Metropolitan Police has issued 126 fines for rule breaches in No 10 and Whitehall, with the Prime Minister receiving a single fixed-penalty notice for his birthday party. Mr Johnson will apologise to MPs in a Commons statement later.
The report issued by Ms Gray includes a series of photos, with Mr Johnson pictured at the surprise birthday party in the Cabinet Room on June 19, 2020 for which he received a fine.
He is seen with Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, with sandwiches, juices and what appears to be Estrella lager – in one picture Mr Johnson is seen raising a can of the beer aloft.
Other photos include the previously-seen images of Mr Johnson raising a glass of wine at a leaving do for his former spin doctor Lee Cain on November 13, 2020.
