Partygate live: Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street lockdown breaches published | Politics

On 13 November 2020, the day Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain quit No 10, it was claimed Carrie Johnson, the PM’s wife, hosted a party for her special adviser friends in the Downing Street flat. Carrie Johnson was very pleased to see Cumming and Cain go, and there were reports that Abba music was playing so loudly it could be heard some distance away. Boris Johnson attended at some point and there was surprise that neither he, nor his wife, were fined by the police over the event.

According to the Sunday Times, Carrie Johnson claimed that she and her advisers were holding a “strategy meeting”. The PM reportedly said he was interviewing an adviser about a possible job.

The report reveals that Sue Gray never properly investigated this. It says:

Following the announcement of the departure of Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, a meeting was held in the No 10 flat from some time after 18.00 to discuss the handling of their departure. Five special advisers attended. The prime minister joined them at about 20.00. Food and alcohol were available. The discussion carried on later into the evening with attendees leaving at various points.

The information collected on this gathering is limited as the process of obtaining evidence had only just been commenced when the Metropolitan police announced their own investigations, which included events on the 13 November 2020. At this point I stopped my investigation, given the need to avoid any prejudice to the police investigation. Following the Metropolitan Police announcement on 19 May 2022 I considered whether or not to conduct any further investigation into this event but concluded it was not appropriate or proportionate to do so.

Here are Sue Gray’s conclusions. They are similar in tone to the conclusions of her interim “Update” published in January but there is new detail about how security and cleaning staff were treated by officials in No 10. “I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff,” Gray says.

The general findings set out in my update of 31st January 2022 still stand.

Whatever the initial intent, what took place at many of these gatherings and the way in which they developed was not in line with Covid guidance at the time. Even allowing for the extraordinary pressures officials and advisers were under, the factual findings of this report illustrate some attitudes and behaviours inconsistent with that guidance. It is also clear, from the outcome of the police investigation, that a large number of individuals (83) who attended these events breached Covid regulations and therefore Covid guidance.

I have already commented in my update on what I found to be failures of leadership and judgment in No 10 and the Cabinet Office. The events that I investigated were attended by leaders in government. Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen. It is also the case that some of the more junior civil servants believed that their involvement in some of these events was permitted given the attendance of senior leaders. The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture.

In my update I made a number of general limited findings, I am pleased progress is being made in addressing the issues I raised. I commented on the fragmentary and complicated leadership structures in No 10. Since my update there have been changes to the organisation and management of Downing Street and the Cabinet Office with the aim of creating clearer lines of leadership and accountability and now these need the chance and time to bed in.

I found that some staff had witnessed or been subjected to behaviours at work which they had felt concerned about but at times felt unable to raise properly. I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. This was unacceptable. I am reassured to see that steps have since been taken to introduce more easily accessible means by which to raise concerns electronically, in person or online, including directly with the Permanent Secretary in No 10. I hope that this will truly embed a culture that welcomes and creates opportunities for challenge and speaking up at all levels.

I also made a recommendation that steps should be taken to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace. Since then guidance has been issued to all Government Departments.

The matter of what disciplinary action should now take place is outside of the scope of this report and is for others to consider. Nothing set out in this report can be taken as constituting a disciplinary investigation or findings of fact appropriate for such a purpose. However, I do offer a reflection: while there is no excuse for some of the behaviour set out here it is important to acknowledge that those in the most junior positions attended gatherings at which their seniors were present, or indeed organised. I have no doubt that they will have taken the learning from this experience and, while this is not a matter for me, I hope this will be taken into account in considering any disciplinary action.

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. It is my firm belief, however, that these events did not reflect the prevailing culture in Government and the Civil Service at the time. Many thousands of people up and down the country worked tirelessly to deliver in unprecedented times. I remain immensely proud to be a civil servant and of the work of the service and the wider public sector during the pandemic.

The Sue Gray report has been published. It’s here.

Boris Johnson will tell MPs that he has been “humbled” by the findings of the Partygate inquiry and that “we have learned our lesson”, the BBC’s Chris Mason reports.

The obvious test for Johnson will be whether MPs, and the public, believe that the apology he issues today is sincere. In the past he has failed to convince people on this point.

The quote released to Mason provides a hint that he may have the same problem again. Johnson has been accused of failing to take responsibility for what happened, and “we have learned our lesson” is not the same as “I have learned my lesson”.

The Cabinet Office has confirmed that Boris Johnson has got the Sue Gray report. A spokesperson said:

We can confirm that Sue Gray has provided her final report to the prime minister.

No 10 is expected to say when the report will be published.