The cabinet minister George Eustice has conceded there was a “blurring of the boundary” in Downing Street between work and socialising, as the government awaits Sue Gray’s full report into lockdown parties.
It is understood No 10 is expecting the report on Wednesday. It will then be made public and Boris Johnson will give a statement to MPs.
Many Conservative MPs have repeatedly said they were awaiting Gray’s final report before deciding whether Johnson should face a vote of no confidence.
In what appeared to be a hint of how Johnson is likely to explain himself, Eustice, the environment secretary, said: “There was a blurring of the boundary, if you like, between events that were happening at the end of a working day in a working environment, a blurring of that into what became, clearly in some cases, parties.”
Eustice told Sky News that Johnson “absolutely recognises there were failings”, adding: “He’s apologised for that, apologised for his role in that.”
Gray’s interim report, which was heavily curtailed because of the Metropolitan police investigation, already lamented what she called “failures of leadership and judgment” in Downing Street – without pointing the finger at specific individuals.
Johnson responded with an overhaul of his No 10 team; though the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, remains in his post. Case is widely regarded as a potential casualty when the report sets out in detail what took place.
Westminster has been keenly awaiting Gray’s report since the Met declared last week that it had completed its work, with the prime minister receiving one fine, for a birthday party in June 2020.
In total, 126 fines were levied for events in Downing Street and Whitehall on eight separate dates. The Met’s approach came under scrutiny on Monday when a photo was published of Johnson raising a glass at a leaving do for former head of communications Lee Cain in November 2020. Other individuals were known to have been fined for that event, but Johnson did not receive a fixed-penalty notice.
Gray was believed to be planning to include a limited number of photos in her report in order to illustrate what happened at some of the events she investigated.
Whitehall insiders told the BBC’s Panorama on Tuesday that Johnson appeared to condone the regular drinks events that happened inside No 10, often briefly joining them himself.
“He wasn’t saying: ‘Can everyone break up and go home? Can everyone socially distance? Can everyone put masks on?’ No, he wasn’t telling anybody that. He was grabbing a glass for himself,” one anonymous witness said.
As well as addressing MPs in the House of Commons after the report appears, Johnson is expected to hold a meeting with Tory backbenchers at the 1922 Committee, and a press conference.
