The Sun's Harry Cole refers to the sick left in corridors for cleaners to deal with and wine spilled on the walls, along with staff being rude to security, and asks if any action is being taken beyond asking them to say sorry.

He also presses the prime minister on reports that he asked or implied that Sue Gray should not publish a final report.

Addressing that issue, the PM says the terms of reference make it "absolutely clear" that Sue Gray had to publish a report, it was "entirely right that she should" and "I don't think anybody could reasonably say an awful lot has been swept under the carpet".

On the issue of staff behaviour, Johnson says he doesn't yet know who specifically was responsible, but says it is "utterly intolerable".

He says at the very least the people involved should apologise.

Questions are up next, and the first is from BBC political editor Chris Mason.

He challenges Johnson to convince the public he's not willing to lie to get out of a tight spot.

Johnson says he's tried to explain what's happened as clearly as he can.

He says the event for which he fined was "basically standing at my desk for a brief period surrounded by some other colleagues".

He says he respectfully disagrees with those who think it was wrong for him to say farewell to valued colleagues at other events.

He adds that what happened with the custodians [security guards] and the cleaners was "plainly, utterly unacceptable".

Johnson says he will "work every hour" to tackle the issues facing the British public.

These, he says, include the rising cost of living, the "aftershocks of Covid" and standing up against President Putin.

The PM concludes his statement saying: "That is the mission that drives this government and that is the mission I will continue to pursue."

Image source, PA Media

Boris Johnson says Downing Street is not just his residence, but is also "the head of the government".

Sue Gray describes people working in Downing Street as a "tight knit" group of individuals, saying that these were the people who secured PPE for the NHS, introduced mass testing and started the vaccine rollout, he says.

"The police did not find my attendance at these occasions to be a breach of the rules," but "they found otherwise when I had left" or when he wasn't there, he states.

He says he was appalled at disrespectful treatment of security staff and cleaning personnel.

"As Sue Gray acknowledges, I have acted on her recommendations to make a series of changes," he goes on.

He has appointed new staff, and he says he's made it easier for staff to raise concerns and worries to others.

Boris Johnson begins by thanking Sue Gray for her report, and says he commissioned it to get to the bottom of what had happened.

He says the senior civil servant discovered failings and he took responsibility for those that were his own.

He also said he was humbled by what had happened and renewed his apology for the birthday party he attended, receiving a fine.

PM facing day of awkward questions - but can he then move on?published at 15:33 British Summer Time 25 May 2022

15:33 BST 25 May 2022

David Wallace Lockhart
BBC political correspondent

Boris Johnson faced a largely hostile crowd in the Commons this afternoon when he took questions on the Sue Gray report. Many of his own MPs chose to depart early, leaving opposition MPs to grill him.

He’s now about to face a room full of journalists who’ve packed into Downing Street to quiz him. That’s probably not going to be particularly comfortable either.

There is, however, a logic to all this. If the prime minister spends the day facing all the awkward questions, it makes for a difficult 24 hours, but he can then try to move the agenda on tomorrow.

But he’s got this press conference and then a meeting with his own backbenchers to get through before he can even consider that.

The prime minister has taken to the lectern in the Downing Street press room to begin his statement.

In a few minutes time, Boris Johnson will be facing further questions from journalists as he holds a press conference in Downing Street.

Stay with us for all the updates as it happens.

That concludes our run down of the parties investigated by Sue Gray.

And here's what the police investigation resulted in:

Stick with us, as we're expecting a news conference with Boris Johnson to start shortly.

Two events took place on 16 April 2021 - the day before the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral - for the departure of a senior No 10 official and another No 10 official.

Alcohol was available and the events lasted for several hours, the prime minister was "not in residence".

One event had invites sent out for it on 7 April. At least 77 members of staff in No 10 were invited, including those from the prime minister's private office. The other was organised on the day.

The first event, pre-planned, had 45 people in attendance and lasted for about an hour. Wine and beer was brought by staff and was consumed during some of the speeches.

Some staff continued "chatting and drinking" beyond the end time of the event, and some were present when No 10 was being "locked down for the evening". A security team member asked them to leave, and they moved to the garden.

The second event, organised on the day, was held at approximately the same time, but was smaller, with about 15 to 20 people. Music was played on a laptop on top of a printer, and a "number of those present drank excessively".

There was mingling between these two events, the report says, the two groups eventually joined together in the Downing Street garden. Shortly before 21:30, there were over 20 people in the garden, with a number of bottles of alcohol.

A number of individuals gathered near a child's swing/slide in the garden, and it was damaged by staff playing with it and leaning on it.

A member of security staff started locking down the building at 21:30, and noticed groups in the garden.

No 10 entry/exit logs show that a number left at this point, but some remained in the building and carried on drinking until the early hours.

Exit logs indicate some left after midnight and others between 01:45 and 02:45. Two staff stayed later still, one leaving at 03:11 and the last leaving at 04:20.

A leaving event took place on 14 January 2021 for the departure of two No 10 officials.

The prime minister attended this event for a short time to give a leaving speech and alcohol was available.

On 7 January, the PM's deputy principal private secretary Stuart Glassborow sent an email inviting staff to a "Virtual Leaving Presentation". This was sent to 40 people across the Cabinet Office and Treasury.

The event began at 18:00, and approximately 15 members of staff from No 10 attended in person, and 40 attended virtually.

The prime minister attended for 10 minutes in between meetings, and gave a short speech.

The report says it is "unclear what time the event finished" and some were present beyond 23:00.

A No 10 gathering took place on 18 December 2020 ahead of the Christmas break. London was still in Tier 3 lockdown.

A gathering took place in the No 10 Press Office. Between 20 and 45 individuals attended over the course of the evening. The event included a Secret Santa and an awards ceremony, there was alcohol and food.

Gatherings on Friday organised by the Press Office were referred to as "wine time Friday", to mark the end of the week.

Preparations started for this event on the 27 November, with staff being asked if they wanted to do a Secret Santa. Staff were told there would be "cheese and (lots of) wine on 18th Dec".

Which types of cheese would be provided were discussed ahead of the event, with a new fridge being bought between staff to store it.

On the evening itself, about 30 awards certificates were given to staff in a ceremony that lasted between 10 and 25 minutes, with between 15 and 45 people in the room during this time.

At 19:45, the panic alarm in the room was accidentally pressed. Security staff attended and observed "a large number of people in the area outside of the main Press Office and one individual giving a speech". Inside 15 to 20 people were present.

People working elsewhere in the building heard "significant levels of noise" coming from the Press Office and a cleaner who attended to the room the following day found red wine spilled on a wall and on a number of boxes of photocopier paper.

No 10 exit logs show a number of staff remained in the office until after midnight.

On 17 December 2020, while London was under strict Tier 3 lockdown rules with indoor gatherings of two more people from different households prohibited, three events were taking place in Westminster.

Gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall online Christmas quiz

Another virtual quiz took place in the Cabinet Secretary's Private Office for staff. Alcohol and food were consumed during the quiz, which lasted about 90 minutes.

Those in the office joined using a large communal video screen, others joined online from home. The quiz finished, and was followed by an online game of Articulate that lasted half an hour.

At 20:25, the Cabinet Secretary returned to his office from No 10, and before leaving the building at 21:45, he spoke to members of his Private Office. He was offered and took a beer, and his staff remained to talk and finish their drinks and snacks.

No 10 gathering for the departure of two officials

This event started at 18:00 as a work-related meeting, and at 19:00 formal leaving speeches began. There were about 20 people in attendance, five bottles of wine were provided.

Boris Johnson attended for about 15 minutes from 19:50. He returned to his office after for further meetings. Some started leaving virtually, others continued to talk for a period of about 45 minutes.

"A small number of individuals (three or four) remained in the Pillared Room for a while longer and then they went to the Private Office area, where they continued to drink alcohol until approximately 1am," the report says.

70 Whitehall gathering for departure of Senior Cabinet Office Official and No 10 official

A leaving event took place for Covid task force director general Kate Josephs and a No 10 official. The event was attended by about 20 to 30 officials, including senior staff from No 10 and the Cabinet Office.

On 16 December, an updated invitation was sent out to staff. The email read "Given higher Covid restrictions please do not travel into London for this if you wouldn't otherwise have been in the office".

The event began between 19:00 and 20:00, and more than 20 staff attended. There was an intention to have a one-way system and social distancing. The report says this did not happen as people mingled. There was food and alcohol available. Background music was played through a smartphone.

The event started to end at 22:00, but a smaller group was left still in the room, and at 22:44 an individual ordered six pizzas for the group. The event ended at 23:00, although some left later after tidying up.

15 December 2020 was the date a virtual quiz took place for No 10 staff. It was attended by staff in Downing Street, 70 Whitehall and those working from home.

The quiz and prize-giving lasted approximately three and a half hours, the report says.

The first invites were sent out on 27 November, and a reminder and joining instructions sent on 11 December.

Participants were organised into teams of six, and were invited to join virtually, from home, from their desk, or from meeting rooms.

The email reminded staff that they should not come in specifically for the quiz, and shouldn't be in the office unless they were due to be working from there anyway.

Between 120 and 150 staff attended, at least 18 members of No 10 staff joined from one large room in 70 Whitehall.

Boris Johnson agreed ahead of time to attend the quiz to read out questions in one of the rounds and was at the event for 12 minutes before he returned to his office.

Gray says some staff "gathered close together around laptop screens" and some staff were warned that "drunkenness" would mean that they would have to leave via the back exit to No 10.

Some staff continued to chat and drink alcohol after the quiz ended at 9:30pm.

An event lasting for "around an hour" on 10 December 2020 took place in the Department for Education, as former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson wanted to thank staff.

In early December, the report says planning began for an event to thank staff working from the office during the pandemic.

"Approximately 20-30 staff gathered in the canteen at around 5pm on 10 December 2020," the report states, including a suggestion in the invite that "those joining should bring their own bottle".

Some wine and mince pies were provided by Williamson and his private office, the report says.

The event lasted about an hour.

On 27 November 2020, the report describes an event which "appears to have been an impromptu gathering".

WhatsApps were exchanged between staff, asking where they would be, after the special adviser had gone round to different people's desks saying goodbye.

The report says about 15 to 20 people attended, some of whom were drinking alcohol.

The gathering started at about 18:00, and the prime minister attended himself to say goodbye to the staff member, arriving at 18:19. He returned to his office in time for his next meeting at 18:45.

The special adviser left the building by 18:58pm, the report says.

Next up is 13 November 2020 - a gathering for ex-director of communications Lee Cain, days after a second national lockdown had been imposed.

The event took place around the time the usual "wine time Friday" gatherings happened - you can read more of that here - and a number of photos were taken.

Gray confirms the prime minister attended on the way to his Downing Street flat and joined in the drinking.

However, the next gathering on the same date took place in Boris Johnson's flat with five special advisers to discuss the departures of Cain and then-chief adviser Dominic Cummings.

But there are questions left unanswered.

Gray says: "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."

Boris Johnson's surprise birthday party in the Cabinet Room lasted for between 20 and 30 minutes on 19 June 2020.

The report says food, alcohol and soft drinks were served.

Martin Reynolds invited a number of No 10 staff via email, including Simon Case, who was then the permanent secretary for Covid and the pandemic response.

The event took place between 14:25 and 14:45, the report says, "throughout which the prime minister was present". It was previously said he had only attended for nine minutes.

The chancellor also attended that gathering, but the report says by accident, because he had arrived early for a meeting that was due to take place later.

Next up is 18 June 2020, when a gathering took place in No 10 and the Cabinet Office to mark the departure of a No 10 official.

The event was split into two - informal leaving speeches with some alcohol for an hour with 25 people, before moving to the Cabinet Secretary's rooms for alcohol, food and music.

Gray reveals email invitations were sent out for "leaving drinks", and afterwards Martin Reynolds and the-then director of communications, Lee Cain, exchanged WhatsApps.

Image source, Cabinet Office

An email showed another official describing the event as "your drinks which aren't drinks".

Pizzas were ordered, and the then-deputy cabinet secretary, Helen MacNamara - who we know has been fined for an event - provided a karaoke machine.

Gray added: "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."

On 20 May 2020 people were invited by email to "socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening". Witnesses told the BBC the PM and his wife were among about 30 people who attended.

Gray says staff were reminded in advance about noise levels because of an ongoing Covid press conference.

An unnamed No 10 official contacted the internal events team on 14 May to book the garden, and received this reply the next day: "Sounds like lots of fun... That's fine. Just a reminder about the press conference so just be courteous with sound from 4-6pm."

At this point, Gray says, the following email was sent to about 200 people in Downing Street by Martin Reynolds, then the PM's principal private secretary:

And in later messages, further reminders of needing to be discreet because of the press conference follow, and Reynolds comments that No 10 "seem to have got away with" hosting the drinks.