Sue Gray’s report was only 12 pages long and two of those pages were blank.
The civil servant was unable to deliver her full verdict because of the police investigation.
But the findings she did publish were deeply damaging for Boris Johnson.
The report lists 16 gatherings which took place in Downing Street and Whitehall during lockdown. This blows apart Downing Street’s original defence there were no parties and the guidance was followed at all times.
Gray reveals the police are investigating 12 of these parties including a gathering in the Prime Minister’s private flat on November 13, 2020 and the Birthday Party for Mr Johnson on June 19, 2020. This leaves open the possibility his wife Carrie could be dragged into the police investigation.
Johnson is also accused of misleading Parliament after he denied in the Commons on December 8 last year that a party had taken place on November 13 2020.
Here is what else Sue Gray said in her report… and what it really means:
What the Gray report said:
“We carried out interviews of over 70 individuals, some more than once, and examined relevant documentary and digital information, such as emails; Whatsapp messages; text messages; photographs and building entry and exit logs. This has also included searches of official records.”
What it means:
All of this information has been handed to the police who are investigating whether the parties broke lockdown rules.
Scotland Yard today said it had been given more than 300 photos as part of the evidence compiled by Gray.
If any of the pictures feature Johnson it could prove he was partying while the rest of the country was told to follow lockdown rules.
Even if he is cleared by the police, these images could see him damned in the court of public opinion.
What the Gray report said:
“It is not for me to make a judgment on whether the criminal law has been broken; that is properly a matter for law enforcement.”
She later writes that because of the police investigation: “I have not made comment on whether individual gatherings were in line with the relevant guidance and regulations in place at the time.”
What it means:
These were the only lines that proved helpful to Johnson.
In his Commons statement, he hid behind these words to claim Gray had not reached a definitive conclusion and to urge MPs to wait until the police investigation.
The Prime Minister is trying to buy time in the hope that public anger will have subsided when the police conclude their inquiries.
What the Gray report said:
“The hardship under which citizens across the country worked, lived and sadly even died while observing the Government’s regulations and guidance rigorously are known only too well. Those challenges, however, also applied to key and frontline workers across the country who were working under equally, if not more, demanding conditions, often at risk to their own health.”
What it means:
This blows apart the defence used by No 10 and some Tory MPs to excuse the parties. They had tried to claim that Downing Street was a unique building and its layout meant that work and downtime often collided.
Supportive MPs said that staff and officials deserved a chance to unwind after working so hard during the pandemic. Gray does not buy this excuse.
What the Gray report said:
“Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify.
“At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time.
What it means:
This is as close as Gray gets to delivering a guilty verdict. The “serious” failure to “observe high standards” suggests that Covid rules were broken by the occupants of No 10 and there was no justification for what took place. Her comments demolish Downing Street’s claim that the guidance was followed at all times.
What the Gray report said:
“At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public.
“There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”
What it means:
This is the most damning part of the report. The criticism of the failure of leadership is a direct rebuke of Johnson. The fact that Gray concludes the events should not have been allowed to take place suggests they were against the law.
The line “events should not have been allowed to develop as they did” reads like an admonishment of Johnson for failing to stop the parties and undermines his claim that nobody had told him the “bring you own booze” party might have been against the rules.
What the Gray report said:
“As a result of the Metropolitan Police’s investigations, and so as not to prejudice the police investigative process, they have told me that it would only be appropriate to make minimal reference to the gatherings on the dates they are investigating.
“Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather.”
What it means:
Gray reveals she has uncovered far more than she is able to publish. As a result we do not know the names of the individuals who attended the parties or whether they included the Prime Minister and people from outside Downing Street.
We also don’t know if her final report will include photos and internal emails and WhatsApp messages.
Johnson initially refused to commit to publishing the full Gray report once the police have finished their inquiries only to backtrack later. There will be a reason why he was so reluctant for the truth to come out.
What the Gray report said:
“The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.
“Steps must be taken to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”
What it means:
Johnson has repeatedly claimed that he and No 10 staff were doing everything the could to help the country through the pandemic.
Gray shows how that during this crucial time there was a drinking culture in Downing Street that had clearly got out of hand.
Her comments again point to Johnson’s chaotic and free-wheeling approach to the job.
What the Gray report said:
“Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so.
“No member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it. There should be easier ways for staff to raise such concerns informally, outside of the line management chain.”
What it means:
Gray alludes to the fact that some people in No 10 did realise that the partying was inappropriate and possibly against the law.
Her words suggest that they were too scared to speak up because of an intimidatory culture in No 10.
This is will be seen as poor reflection of Johnson’s management at a time when he has been accused by a Tory MP of using ‘blackmail’ to get people to do his bidding.
